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Current Nutrition & Food Science

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ISSN (Print): 1573-4013
ISSN (Online): 2212-3881

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Cross-Sectional Study

The association of Fruits and Vegetables consumption and COVID-19: Results from Yazd Health Study and TAMYZ study

In Press, (this is not the final "Version of Record"). Available online 25 March, 2024
Author(s): Shirin Hassanizadeh, Vida Mohammadi, Azadeh Nadjarzadeh, Masoud Mirzaei and Mahdieh Hosseinzadeh*
Published on: 25 March, 2024

DOI: 10.2174/0115734013282462240319043756

Price: $95

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 has caused a high health burden worldwide and increased the need to identify factors affecting its risk. Fruits and vegetables are essential for a healthy diet and immune system function. This study investigated the associations between fruit and vegetable intake and COVID-19 incidence in a large sample of Iranian adults.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used data from 9189 participants of Yazd Health Study (YaHS) and Taghzieh Mardom-e-Yazd (TAMIZ) study aged 20 to 70 years. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).

Results: After adjusting for confounding variables, we found that higher intake of total fruit (OR: 0.42, CI: 0.20–0.83, P-trend =0.05), fresh fruit (OR: 0.46, CI: 0.23– 0.92, P-trend =0.04), green leafy vegetables (OR: 0.48, CI: 0.24–0.96, P-trend =0.08), and vitamin C (OR: 0.38, CI: 0.17– 0.81, P-trend =0.02) were associated with lower odds of COVID-19. No significant associations were observed for fruit juice, dried fruit, fruit compote, cruciferous vegetables, yellow vegetables, total vegetables and dietary fiber intake.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that higher consumption of fresh fruit, total fruit, green leafy vegetables, and dietary vitamin C may reduce the risk of COVID-19. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and provide evidence-based nutritional recommendations. Furthermore, the current study's findings could be important for similar pandemics.

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