Spices to Control COVID-19 Symptoms: Yes, but Not Only…
Jean Bousquet, Wienczyslawa Czarlewski, Torsten Zuberbier, Joaquim Mullol, Hubert Blain, Jean‐Paul Cristol, Rafael de la Torre, Vincent Le Moing, Nieves Pizarro, Anna Bedbrook, Ioana Agache, Cezmi A. Akdiş, Giorgio Walter Canonica, Álvaro A. Cruz, Alessandro Fiocchi, João Fonseca, Susana Fonseca, Bilun Gemicioğlu, Tari Haahtela, Guido Iaccarino, Juan Carlos Ivancevich, Marek Jutel, Ludger Klimek, Piotr Kuna, Désirée Larenas‐Linnemann, Erik Melén, Yoshitaka Okamoto, Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, Oliver Pfaar, Jacques Reynes, Yves Rolland, Philip W. Rouadi, Bolesław Samoliński, Aziz Sheikh, Sanna Toppila‐Salmi, Arūnas Valiulis, Hak‐Jong Choi, Hyun Ju Kim, Josep M. Anto
Abstract
There are large country variations in COVID-19 death rates that may be partly explained by diet. Many countries with low COVID-19 death rates have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented vegetables such as cabbage and, in some continents, various spices. Fermented vegetables and spices are agonists of the antioxidant transcription factor nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), and spices are transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 and vanillin 1 (TRPA1/V1) agonists. These mechanisms may explain many COVID-19 symptoms and severity. It appears that there is a synergy between Nrf2 and TRPA1/V1 foods that may explain the role of diet in COVID-19. One of the mechanisms of COVID-19 appears to be an oxygen species (ROS)-mediated process in synergy with TRP channels, modulated by Nrf2 pathways. Spicy foods are likely to desensitize TRP channels and act in synergy with exogenous antioxidants that activate the Nrf2 pathway.