Are Vegetarians Exempt From Covid?

A study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health suggests that a predominantly plant-based or vegetarian diet may be less likely to develop severe Covid-19 when compared to meat eaters. The research hypothesizes that a plant-based diet or a vegetarian diet compared with an omnivorous diet might be associated with a lower incidence of COVID-19 infection and severity in those infected. Brazilian research published in the British Medical Journal of the British Medical Journal found that vegetarians are 39% less likely to contract COVID-19 than omnivores.

Health professionals who reported following diets that are vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian (those that exclude meat but include fish) had a lower risk of developing the virus. Adopting a healthful plant-based diet and lifestyle can delay the aging process, decrease age-associated co-morbidities, and decrease the risk of contracting the virus.

The virus is not spread by eating animal products, and there is no reason to believe that vegans are less likely to catch it. However, there are two important senses in which COVID-19 clearly is related to veganism: omnivores eat food of any animal origin, while people with a plant-based diet may follow several dietary patterns, including flexitarian (eating a diet high in vegetables, legumes, nuts, and low in dairy and meat may be protective).

A predominantly plant-based or vegetarian diet is linked to 39 lower odds of being infected with Covid-19, according to researchers in Brazil. Medical researchers have advocated vegetarian diets to help protect against COVID-19 after their study found a plant-based diet gave them a higher risk of developing the virus.