Nutritional risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection: a prospective study within the NutriNet-Santé cohort
Mélanie Deschasaux, Bernard Srour, Laurent Bourhis, Nathalie Arnault, Nathalie Druesne‐Pecollo, Younes Esseddik, Fabien Szabo de Edelenyi, Julien Allègre, Benjamin Allès, Valentina A. Andreeva, Julia Baudry, Léopold Fezeu, Pilar Galán, Chantal Julia, Emmanuelle Kesse‐Guyot, Sandrine Péneau, Serge Herçberg, Nathalie Bajos, Gianluca Severi, Marie Zins, Xavier de Lamballerie, Fabrice Carrat, Mathilde Touvier, on behalf of the SAPRIS-SERO study group, Fabrice Carrat, Pierre‐Yves Ancel, Nathalie Bajos, Marie-Aline Charles, Gianluca Severi, Mathilde Touvier, Marie Zins, Sofiane Kab, Adeline Renuy, Stéphane Le-Got, Céline Ribet, Emmanuel Wiernik, Marcel Goldberg, Marie Zins, Fanny Artaud, Pascale Gerbouin-Rérolle, Mélody Enguix, C Laplanche, Roselyn Gomes-Rima, Lyan Hoang, Emmanuelle Correia, Alpha Amadou Barry, Nadège Senina, Gianluca Severi, Fabien Szabo de Edelenyi, Julien Allègre, Nathalie Druesne‐Pecollo, Younes Esseddik, Serge Herçberg, Mathilde Touvier, Marie-Aline Charles, Pierre‐Yves Ancel, Valérie Benhammou, Anass Ritmi, Laetitia Marchand‐Martin, Cécile Zaros, Elodie Lordmi, Adriana Candea, Sophie de Visme, Thierry Siméon, Xavier Thierry, Bertrand Geay, Marie‐Noëlle Dufourg, Karen Milcent, Clovis Lusivika‐Nzinga, Grégory Pannetier, Nathanaël Lapidus, Isabelle Goderel, Céline Dorival, Jérôme Nicol, Fabrice Carrat, Cindy J. Lai, Hélène Espérou, Sandrine Couffin-Cadièrgues, Jean‐Marie Gagliolo, Hélène Blanché, Jean-Marc Sébaoun, Jean-Christophe Beaudoin, Lætitia Gressin, Valérie Morel, Ouissam Ouili, Jean‐François Deleuze, Stéphane Priet, Paola Mariela Saba Villarroel, Toscane Fourié, Souand Mohamed Ali, Abdenour Amroun, Morgan Seston, Nazlı Ayhan, Boris Pastorino, Xavier de Lamballerie
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nutritional factors are essential for the functioning of the immune system and could therefore play a role in COVID-19 but evidence is needed. Our objective was to study the associations between diet and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large population-based sample. METHODS: Our analyses were conducted in the French prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort study (2009-2020). Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was assessed by ELISA on dried blood spots. Dietary intakes were derived from repeated 24 h dietary records (at least 6) in the two years preceding the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in France (February 2020). Multi-adjusted logistic regression models were computed. RESULTS: A total of 7766 adults (70.3% women, mean age: 60.3 years) were included, among which 311 were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Dietary intakes of vitamin C (OR for 1 SD=0.86 (0.75-0.98), P=0.02), vitamin B9 (OR=0.84 (0.72-0.98), P=0.02), vitamin K (OR=0.86 (0.74-0.99), P=0.04), fibers (OR=0.84 (0.72-0.98), P=0.02), and fruit and vegetables (OR=0.85 (0.74-0.97), P=0.02) were associated to a decreased probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection while dietary intakes of calcium (OR=1.16 (1.01-1.35), P=0.04) and dairy products (OR=1.19 (1.06-1.33), P=0.002) associated to increased odds. No association was detected with other food groups or nutrients or with the overall diet quality. CONCLUSIONS: Higher dietary intakes of fruit and vegetables and, consistently, of vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and fibers were associated with a lower susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Beyond its established role in the prevention of non-communicable diseases, diet could therefore also contribute to prevent some infectious diseases such as COVID-19.