Ketogenic Diet as a Preventive and Supportive Care for COVID-19 Patients
Elena Gangitano, Rossella Tozzi, Orietta Gandini, Mikiko Watanabe, Sabrina Basciani, Stefania Mariani, Andrea Lenzi, Lucio Gnessi, Carla Lubrano
Abstract
Severe obesity is associated with an increased risk of admission to intensive care units and need for invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19. The association of obesity and COVID-19 prognosis may be related to many different factors, such as chronic systemic inflammation, the predisposition to severe respiratory conditions and viral infections. The ketogenic diet is an approach that can be extremely effective in reducing body weight and visceral fat in the short term, preserving the lean mass and reducing systemic inflammation. Therefore, it is a precious preventive measure for severely obese people and may be considered as an adjuvant therapy for patients with respiratory compromise.