Early Pandemic Improvements in Diet Quality Are Associated with Increased Physical Activity and Weight Loss in US Adults.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to restricted vocational (Voc-PA) and recreational physical activity (Rec-PA) outside of the home. We conducted a nation-wide survey in the United States (US) during the mitigation peak of the pandemic (June 2020) to assess health-related changes from the previous year. A diet quality (DQ) assessment tool weighted the relative healthfulness of eating occasions from foods prepared-at-home (Home) and away-from-home (Away). Previously-validated instruments assessed PA and demographic variables; height/weight were self-reported to calculate body mass index (BMI). T-tests explored longitudinal, between-sex, and obesity status differences in DQ, PA, and BMI; Pearson correlations explored associations. Of 1648 respondents, 814 valid responses (56.8% female, 81.7% white) were analyzed. Overall and Home DQ was higher for females than males in 2020 (p < 0.001 for both). Respondents increased DQ from 2019 to 2020, primarily from Away (p < 0.001 for both sexes). Total Rec-PA and Voc-PA was higher in males (p = 0.002, p < 0.001) than females in 2020; females reported higher other PA (p = 0.001). Change in BMI was inversely associated with change in both DQ and PA (p < 0.001 for both). In this sample of US adults, early adaptations to the COVID-19 pandemic included improved DQ and BMI. Whether these short-term improvements were maintained warrant further investigation.

Negative Association Between Mediterranean Diet Adherence and COVID-19 Cases and Related Deaths in Spain and 23 OECD Countries: An Ecological Study.

In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov2) emerged in Wuhan, China, sparking the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The high prevalence of nutrition-related COVID-19 risk factors including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, suggests that healthy dietary approaches may mitigate COVID-19 related outcomes and possibly SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on the fundamental role of nutrition in immune function and the well-documented association between Mediterranean diet consumption and risk reduction for chronic diseases that are comorbidities in COVID-19 patients, we hypothesized that there would be a relationship between Mediterranean diet adherence and COVID-19 cases and related deaths. In this perspective, we examined the association between regional adherence to a Mediterranean diet and COVID-19 cases and deaths using an ecological study design. We observed that Mediterranean diet adherence was negatively associated with both COVID-19 cases and related deaths across 17 regions in Spain and that the relationship remained when adjusted for factors of well-being. We also observed a negative association between Mediterranean diet adherence and COVID-19 related deaths across 23 countries when adjusted for factors of well-being and physical inactivity. The anti-inflammatory properties of the Mediterranean diet - likely due to the polyphenol content of the diet - may be a biological basis to explain our findings. However, there are confounding factors unrelated to dietary factors driving COVID-19 cases and related deaths across the regions in Spain and the 23 countries examined in our analysis. Our findings will need to be confirmed and further explored in cohort studies.