Let food be the medicine, but not for coronavirus: Nutrition and food science, telling myths from facts.

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon. Co-Editor-in-Chief - Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology. Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. Associate Editor - Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Journal of population therapeutics and clinical pharmacology = Journal de la therapeutique des populations et de la pharmacologie clinique. 2020;(S Pt 1):e1-e4

Abstract

The entire globe is facing a dangerous pandemic due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The medical and scientific community is trying to figure out and adopt effective strategies that can lead to (i) preventing virus expansion; (ii) identifying medications for the management of critical care and reducing rates of mortality; and (iii) finally discovering the highly anticipated vaccine. Nutritional interventions have attained considerable scientific evidence in disease prevention and treatment. The main question, "What is the role of nutrition and food science in this scenario?" requires urgent answer as many theories suggesting that specific food or dietary supplements can fight coronavirus infection have received extensive coverage in most popular social media platforms. In this editorial, we focus on some frequent statements on the role of nutrition and food science in the battle against COVID-19, distinguishing between myths and facts. We highlight that social distancing and hygiene precautions are the best practices for reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We further underline the importance of nutrition in its wholistic concept, pointing out the risk of unproven dietary options that could lead individuals to weaken effective precautionary measures.

Methodological quality

Publication Type : Review

Metadata