Can probiotics help prevent COVID?

COVID is in the news almost every day.  A new variant is popping up, etc.  The news recently was fascinating.  Are there foods or supplements that not only can help prevent COVID but also reduce symptoms?  Why hadn’t we heard this before?  You may have seen the many headlines about Probiotics can Reduce COVID Symptoms and Delay Disease.  Researchers at Duke University have come out with surprising findings about probiotics and COVID.  

What did the Duke University study find about COVID and probiotics?

Before COVID, researchers already knew that probiotics were helpful in preventing respiratory infections.  In March 2020, before many people had been vaccinated for COVID, Duke researchers studied unvaccinated individuals who had been exposed to COVID.  They studied 182 people, with half getting the probiotic lactobacillus and the other half taking a placebo pill.  Even though the research was cut short because study participants started to get vaccinated against COVID, their findings were remarkable.

The group taking the probiotic, lactobacillus:

• Were 60% less likely to get COVID symptoms
• And the probiotic study group staved off COVID infections for a longer period of time

Thus, the study at Duke University demonstrated “probiotics, specifically lactobacillus, demonstrated significant ability to delay a COVID infection and reduce symptoms among a group of unvaccinated people who had been in contact with someone in their household diagnosed with COVID.”   However, it is important to note that probiotics cannot treat or cure COVID-19 .

Why are probiotics helpful in fighting infections?

Most people know that probiotics are good for your gut.  Probiotics actually strengthen your gut by making your gut wall more able to keep out any harmful bacteria or toxins.  Probiotics help repopulate your gut with “good” bacteria and help prevent the growth of “bad” bacteria in your gut. (See: Healthy gut for a healthier you .)   Probiotics also help your body fight infections, even infections in the lungs.  Studies have found that strains of Lactobacillus can “halt the development of upper and lower respiratory tract infections…”. 

What are probiotics?

I told my students that probiotics are the good bacteria in foods and in your intestine.  “Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy”. 

What probiotics fight infections?

The Duke study cited above, used lactobacillus, specifically Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG or LGG.  But other studies about COVID and the role of probiotics being therapeutic used different strains of lactobacillus including lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus bulgaricus, or Bifidobacterium.

What foods have probiotics?

Although probiotics can be found in probiotic supplements, a number of foods contain probiotics.  Foods that contain healthy probiotics include yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, kombucha and some aged cheeses like “Swiss, provolone, Gouda, cheddar, Edam, Gruyere and cottage cheese”.  (For a good video on probiotics, watch Probiotics – What are Probiotics ).  You can read the label on yogurt containers to note what live cultures or probiotics the yogurt contains, although some manufacturers have stopped including this.  Maybe they should reconsider and put the names of the cultures back on their packaging.

Conclusion:  Who knew that probiotics had any link to COVID?  Yet researchers caution that more research is needed.  On the other hand, much research has been done on probiotics boosting immunity and reducing inflammation.  Many relatives in my family enjoy foods such as yogurt every day to add not only probiotics to their day but also calcium, vitamin D, and high-quality protein.  Other relatives like kombucha.  Most people like cheese and as noted above aged cheeses also provide probiotics.  The research noted above was done with probiotic supplements.  More research is needed on the effect foods with probiotics may have on COVID and on health.  Cleveland Clinic notes that probiotics help boost your immune system against infections. What foods can you add to your day to add some healthy probiotics to your diet?  

Yogurt ingredient label: 

Sources:  Probiotics can Reduce COVID Symptoms and Delay Disease , researchers , study , However, it is important to note that probiotics cannot treat or cure COVID-19  ,  Probiotics , Healthy gut for a healthier you , Lactobacillus , good bacteria , study , studies , cheeses , Probiotics – What are Probiotics , researchers ,  probiotics , probiotics   Images:   Food for thought, Yogurt ingredients , Prebiotic vs probiotic

Best Diets for Weight Loss in 2024

So many people make a resolution to lose a few pounds in 2024?  If you or someone you know wants to drop a few pounds, what are the best weight loss diets to be on? Many weight loss diets don’t change your lifestyle but offer a quick solution but for many a temporary solution.  You may lose some weight but once you go “off” the diet, you gain the weight back.  US News & World Report not only ranks the best diets for overall health (last week’s blog topic) but also the Best Weight-Loss Diets.  

What makes a weight-loss diet a winner?  The experts ranking the diets looked for both short- and long-term weight loss results.   They noted some diets did well in the short term, people lost weight on the diet, but long-term results, not so good.  A diet really isn’t successful if you gain all the weight back that you wanted to say good bye to. 

What are the Best Weight-Loss Diets for 2024 according to the US News & World Report?    

Number 1: 

Weight Watchers  (WW) (It was also number 1 for weight loss in 2022 and 2023).  WW is a program focused not just on weight loss but lasting weight loss through behavior changes, exercise, good nutrition, and social support. 

·        Pros:  WW not only focuses on long-term weight loss; WW helps you learn to eat healthier and encourages exercise.  In 2021, WW introduced a new points system, called the PersonalPoints Program.  WW points include ZeroPoint Foods that include scrambled eggs, nonfat yogurt, non-starchy vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and legumes.  There is mobile App to use on your smartphone. Fitness – you count points for food and you count points for exercise.  But not just going to the gym, cleaning your house adds points, mowing the lawn, walking the dog.  Basically, get moving points.

·        Cons:  Some people don’t like all the counting of points but may find the WW PersonalPoints program easier to follow.  A student in my class said their mother was happy counting the points but their dad said he just wanted to eat when out in a restaurant and didn’t want to figure out the points for every food on his plate.  But WW offers a mobile app that has the points for over 285,000 foods and a “Menu Master” to guide you on how to eat healthy when eating out. My relative finds the WW app easy to use and likes “adding points” by exercising.  She can hold her phone to a food label and WW counts the points per serving of that food item.  However, when cooking and making a food with multiple ingredients, one has to enter all the items so a little more time consuming. 

Does WW work?  Yes, according to the relative that is on it. Her goal was to lose the 7 pounds she gained over the holidays.  After 3.5 weeks of WW, she has lost 4 pounds.  However, her friend quit WW as they found working the App too hard to do.  A study tracked 740 people on different weight loss diets.  All did lose weight but those on the WW program lost the most. 

Number 2: 

Mediterranean Diet (Also ranked number 1 as a Best Diet for Overall Health.  See:  Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024)  This diet is not really a “weight loss” diet but a way to eat well for overall health.  As noted in last week’s blog, this diet promotes heat health, is diabetes-friendly, and promotes good bone and joint health. 

This diet is based on the traditional eating patterns of people in the Mediterranean region. It emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and olive oil while limiting red meat, processed foods, and sweets^..

·        Pros:  This diet is not only good for weight loss but good for your overall health as it is heart-healthy, diabetes-friendly, and even promotes bone and joint health.  The diet focuses on foods eaten in countries of the Mediterranean region.  These healthy foods include “whole grains, beans, nuts, and unsaturated fat from extra-virgin olive oil.”

·        Cons:  One can lose weight on this diet but it takes some work.  You have to pay attention to portion sizes, shop for fresh food, and limit higher calorie foods like the olive oil, cheese and nuts.  Probably not the best diet choice for those looking for quick loss but for those wanting to lose a steady one to two pounds a week.

Number 3

Volumetrics Diet  This diet was ranked high in 2022.  

• Pros:  The diet focuses on foods loaded with nutrients, not calories.  Thus, focusing on foods like “fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy”.  The fruits, vegetables and whole grains are foods that will fill you up as they have more fiber and a higher water content. 

A nutrition professor from Penn State University, Barbara Rolls, is behind this diet. She divides foods into 4 groups – not the basic four, but new groups based on energy density (or calorie density).  “Free” fruits and nonstarchy vegetables are number one or category one.  Then comes category 2 emphasizing whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean proteins.  In category 3, you can enjoy small portions of desserts, cheese, higher-fat meats, bread.  Most junk food ends up in the 4^th category – the chips, candy, cookies and nuts.  It is interesting that nuts are put in the 4^th category as nuts are a healthy food choice.  Cost is a pro as there are no expensive foods to buy. 

• Cons:  You do need to buy a book to give you guidance on what to eat and cook on this diet. US News and World Report recommends “The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet” book that provides information on the energy density food groups.  You have to keep track of what food is in what category.  If you choose a higher calorie food, you might be able to eat only a portion of it to fit into your daily allotment.  Exercise:  you add 150 steps a day with your first goal of a 1,000 steps and increasing your daily steps to 10,000.  You can read a lot more about each diet at the Best Weight-Loss Diets website and by going to the websites of each of the above programs. WebMD notes that on this diet, “you won’t lose weight in a hurry.”  You can read a lot more about this diet at the Best Weight-Loss Diets website. My con – if one has to buy a book to learn how to follow a diet, it is too complicated for me. But the book has recipes for those who like to cook and need guidance on following this diet plan.

What diets are also ranked?

•      Number 4:  The Mayo Clinic Diet
•      Number 5:  The DASH Diet
•      Number 6:  The Flexitarian Diet

Conclusion:

Do you notice a pattern in these weight-loss diets?  None of them say to cut out “bread” or cut out carbs.  Yes, cut out sugary carbs but not healthy carbs like whole grain bread, whole grain cereal.  How many times have you heard someone say I am on a diet so I am cutting out bread?  The above weight-loss diets emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Not one says to cut out bread. The Mayo Clinic diet emphasizes healthy carbs from fruit, legumes, vegetables, whole-wheat flour (e.g. whole grain bread, whole grain crackers, whole grain cereals), and wheat bran. 

The best weight loss diet is the one that works for you.  One you can follow and stay on.  One that not only results in weight loss but lifestyle changes that help you keep off any weight you do lose.  WW (Weight Watchers) teaches you how to eat healthy and encourages more exercise.  No wonder it is a number one diet year after year.  WebMD has good advice to follow: to prevent disease and stay active for life, you do need to exercise.  So be sure to add this into your new lifestyle!  

 

Sources: blog topic, Best Weight-Loss Diets , Weight Watchers , WW , PersonalPoints.,  ZeroPoint Foods , study , Mediterranean Diet , Overall Health , Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024 , It emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and olive oil while limiting red meat, processed foods, and sweets , health ,  Volumetrics Diet , foods , The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet , Best Weight-Loss Diets , you won’t lose weight in a hurry , Best Weight-Loss Diets, Mayo Clinic diet , healthy carbs  , advice   Image Sources: weight loss , ww points plan , fad diets