Abstract

Background: The global population has been under threat of ongoing COVID-19 pandemics. Diet was shown to significantly impact the severity of the disease. The primary focus of this research is to explore the potential correlation between consuming nuts and the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Methods: Totally, 684 individuals who recovered from COVID-19 were enrolled; while 168-item frequency questionnaire (FFQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), were used to assess dietary intakes of participants. The severity of COVID-19 was assessed based on the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines (CTG). Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) questionnaire was utilized to determine the level of life satisfaction. Outcomes including severity of COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization, hypoxia, lung infection, need to respiratory support, duration of disease, recovery after hospitalization, serum levels of C reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO2) level were evaluated. Results: Among those recovered from COVID-19, there was an association between increased intake of nuts and reduction in CRP level (p=0.007), increase in life satisfaction score (p<0.001), decreased risk of severe infection of COVID-19 (p=0.036), decline in the need to respiratory support (p=0.002), decreased duration of disease (p=0.004), reduction in duration of recovery after hospitalization (p=0.001), declined risk of fever (p=0.048), lowered risk of weakness (p<0.001), chest pain (p<0.001), headache (p=0.028), dizziness (p=0.002) and anorexia (p=0.015). Conclusion: Higher intake of nuts was shown to be correlated with a decreased risk of severe infection, hospitalization, and duration of illness, along with improvements in COVID-19 symptoms. © 2024, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.