Eating oily fish, and flaxseed can protect you against severe Covid

London, March 2

Consuming oily fish like salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts, which can increase your levels of omega-3 fatty acids, may protect you against severe Covid, according to a study.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), showed that fatty acids such as EPA and DHA might be protective against contracting and/or suffering adverse outcomes of Covid infection.

People with the highest omega-3 levels were 21 percent less likely to test positive, and the risk for a positive test was 8 percent lower for each increase in plasma DHA percent.

They were also 26 percent less likely to be hospitalized, and the risk for hospitalization was 11 percent lower per increase in plasma DHA percent.

The researchers also pointed out that South Korea and Japan have reported an extremely low severity of Covid-19 disease. Besides masking practices, social distancing policies, and other population-wide interventions, it is interesting to note that the Omega-3 Index values of healthy South Korean and Japanese individuals are about 8-12 percent and 7-11 percent, respectively. On the contrary, the Omega-3 index in western populations such as the US is just 4-5 percent. The US remains the most infected in terms of Covid.

"A worldwide pattern linking higher omega-3 fatty acid intakes with lower rates of death with Covid-19 has been documented. Although only suggestive, this observation adds further support for a potential role of omega-3s EPA and DHA in the prevention of fatal Covid-19 disease," the researchers said.

"This study confirms previous findings that low omega-3 status is associated with increased risk for hospitalization with Covid-19. We extended these findings by also showing reduced risk for testing positive with the infection and by providing evidence that the risk for death may also be reduced," said Dr. William S. Harris, from the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI).

"Altogether these results support the practice of increasing consumption of oily fish like salmon or omega-3 fish oil supplements as a potential risk reduction strategy when it comes to Covid-19," he noted.

--IANS