Azrina Azlan1,2,3* and Sharmin Sultana1
Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
Research Centre of Excellence for Nutrition and Non-Communicable Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia.
Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor
Received: 13 December 2023; Processed: 15 January 2024; Accepted: 25 January 2024
Citation: Azlan Azrina and Sultana Sharmin. “Food with Immune Boosting Properties during Convid-19 Movement Control Order (MCO)” J Nutr Diet Manage (2024): 106. DOI: 10.59462/JNDM.2.1.106
Copyright: © 2024 Azlan A. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The world is currently experiencing the pandemic of a new coronavirus, called nCoV-2019 (Convid-19) and this underscores how infectious diseases are presenting the fourth existential threat to humanity. The Convid-19 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in the late 2019. This infections spread with animal-to-human and humanto- human, and the direct cause of death is generally due to ensuing severe acute respiratory syndrome called atypical pneumonia. The origins of this Coronavirus are still in controversies as there is a large family of Coronaviruses. Some experts believes that a confluence of anthropogenic factors is the most prominent reason for this present pandemic [1,2]. For instances, Rob Wallace (2020), has highlighted complex interaction of old-style Chinese cooking preferences, the newly emergent industrial capitalist economy, and the reshaping of the ecology of China’s hinterlands may have played a significant role in the emergence of this novel Convid-19 pathogens [1].
The CoVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. Immediately after declaration, people in all continents are under Movement Control Order (MCO) or quarantine in order to reduce the spread of the virus. During MCO period people becomes boredom due to the interruption of their routine work and continuously watching the bad news about the outbreak of Convid-19 pandemic without a break can giving rise to a dangerous vicious cycle. This Monotony has been associated with the consumption of higher quantities of carbohydrates, proteins and fats [3]. Carbohydrate-rich foods generally considered as a self-medicating antistress. However, over eating of carbohydrate can increase glycaemic index thus could increase the risk of developing obesity that beyond being the risk for serious complications of Convid-19, thus, nutrition becomes a priority at this time [4,5]. Therefore, it is important to consume food containing or promoting the immune boosting properties importantly those helps synthesis of serotonin and melatonin [5].
Foods that will help to bolster the Immune System
If we wish to prevent the contamination of this infectious diseases, we must have to trace some food that will help to bolster our immune system with providing enough nutrition. Building a strong immunity is the best defence against Convid-19 and other viral diseases. In this sense, we can inculcate a considerable variety of foods in our diet including leaves, roots, seeds and fruits contains antimicrobial properties to lower the risk of infection. Although, there is no written evidence to prove that all these foods might fully cure or prevent this pandemics, yet, it is obviously better to bolster our immunity while we can, in place of sitting back and waiting for the viral infection to attack us.
Garlic: World Health Organization (WHO) declares that garlic contains antimicrobial properties that help building a strong immunity. However, there is not much evidence to prove that garlic has helped people suffering in the current outbreak [6].
Turmeric: Turmeric contents curcumin ingredients which is rich in anti-inflammatory properties that helps to control inflammation. Thus turmeric boosts immunity and helps fight against bacteria to control viral infection. Try adding turmeric into our regular diet especially during the flu season to bolster our immunity [6].
Fruits and Vegetables: It has been documented that fruits and vegetables are essential source of certain micronutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and betacarotene which are antioxidant and thus can boost immune function [7,8]. The principle of this mechanism are presented in figure 1.
Figure 1.
Sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, and carrots are abundant dietary sources of Beta Carotene. Instead, lemons, red peppers, strawberries, oranges, mangoes, and broccoli are rich sources of vitamin C [7,8]. Vegetable oils, nuts, spinach, broccoli and seeds are plentiful source of Vitamin E. Furthermore, sufficient vitamin D content in healthy adults reduces the risk of death from respiratory tract infections [9,10]. Since MCO could be associated to a less time spent outdoor, so the sun exposure is limited. Therefore, it is encouraged to grow more vitamin D from dietary sources. All types of fish, egg yolk, liver, and milk are abundant dietary sources of vitamin D.
Zinc: Indeed, adequate Zinc status is very essential for the maintenance of immune function. It has been documented previous that zinc could reduce severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) by inhibiting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase template binding and elongation in Vero-E6 cells. The major sources of food to get zinc are red meat, nuts, sesame seeds, poultry, pumpkin seeds, lentils and beans [11].
Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids up to 8-10 glasses of plain drinking to stay hydrated as hydration will help flush out the toxins from the body and thus reduces the chances of severe attack. In an addition, juices made of citrus fruits (such as Oranges, and Lime), coconut water should drink.
Finally, Apart from eating healthily, it’s important to make some lifestyle changes in your everyday life to fight the disease. Exercising, getting enough sleep, cutting down on sugar and less stress are some of the things that might help in the quest. Some probiotics rich sources such as fermented food, yakult, and yogurt are essential to rejuvenate the composition of gut bacteria, which is very helpful for proper nutrient’s absorption. Building a strong immunity is indeed the best defence against this pandemics. Making our body strong enough to defend itself from the Coronavirus will ward off the infections.
No conflict of interest