Last Updated on August 16, 2021 by Team THIP
Quick Take
A social media post doing rounds claims that a healthy diet and exercises are enough to beat Covid-19, vaccinations are not required. We fact-checked and found that claim is mostly false.
The Claim
A few social media users claim that the body’s immune system can beat Covid ‘naturally’. The posts undermine the usage of vaccines and suggest exercise and a good diet themselves are enough. Such posts can be seen here, here, and here. A snapshot is also given below.
Fact Check
Can good diet and exercise prevent Covid-19?
To some extent. They can help but are not the only factor that can help prevent Covid-19 infection.
Good food, good sleep, and exercise can help build a good immune system. Multiple researches, here and here, have shown that a good immune system in the body can help fight viruses, bacteria, and toxins by building a strong immune system.
Can an good diet, good exercise and immune system be enough to beat Covid-19?
No, a good immune system may not be enough to prevent or cure Covid-19 infection.
There are reports about perfectly healthy and physically active people contracting the virus and dying. There is also a long list of sportspersons in India and across the world who have died of Covid-19.
A detailed review published in this matter by multiple researchers suggests that the body’s immune system takes time to educate itself against a new infection like Covid-19. The review was published before vaccines were invented. Researchers recognized the need for the vaccine, advocated good food and exercises against Covid-19 till there is a cure but at the same time noted the limitations of our immune system. “Most of the time, the immune system encounters something new and considers it harmless……when the body encounters germs or viruses for the first time, the immune system cannot work properly, and illness can occur. This scenario is what has occurred in the case of COVID-19,” they wrote.
Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Laxman Jessani says, “Everyone does not have a natural immunity to bacteria and viruses. We need antibodies to fight these infections. These antibodies are not formed naturally. Bacteria and viruses are smart bugs and know how to evade natural immunity and they undergo mutation. Vaccine generates antibodies, hence we need to take vaccine which helps in the development of antibodies to fight infection.”
Can good diet and exercise help otherwise?
Good diet, good sleep, and exercise can help keep in check multiple other diseases like Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Increasing Blood Pressure etc. thereby reducing comorbidity (presence of multiple diseases in the body).
Multiple research, here and here, have shown that people with co-morbidities are more susceptible to the severity of Covid-19 infections.
However, Dietitian and Nutritionist Kajal Gupta put in a warning, “Good food is a relative term. It needs to be a balanced diet and complement our body’s needs. Every vitamin or mineral has an importance in our body and one should be mindful enough to add them in his diet.”
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