Welcome to the Nutrition and COVID-19 Recovery Knowledge Hub.
The Knowledge Hub was created independently by the University of Plymouth. The BDA is acting as a host website for this information and has not been involved in its development.
This hub is for healthcare professionals, health and social care workers, people recovering from COVID-19 and those caring for them. The information is developed from published research and academic papers. This means it is 'evidence-based' and a trusted, reliable source of information.
The knowledge hub has two main sections:
Patients
This Knowledge Hub is a one-stop shop for trustworthy information about nutrition, diet and COVID-19. It can help you learn about the effects of diet and nutrition on recovery from COVID-19 and symptom management.
Professionals
This section of the Knowledge Hub is for health and social care professionals supporting people recovering from COVID-19. This includes all those working in health and social care settings as well as the third sector including voluntary and community organisations, charities, self-help and community groups, social enterprises.
Useful resources, links to other websites and references for the evidence are included. You can use these if you want to find out more information on a particular topic.
You can find out about different aspects of nutrition and COVID-19 by watching talks from experts.
Learn about how the knowledge hub was developed and who was involved.
About COVID-19
Coronavirus disease is an infectious disease. It is caused by a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is also known as COVID-19.
The UK has defined the stages of COVID-19 as:
- Acute COVID-19: signs and symptoms continuing for up to 4 weeks
- Ongoing symptomatic COVID-19: signs and symptoms continuing for 4 to 12 weeks
- Post-COVID-19 syndrome: signs and symptoms continuing for more than 12 weeks which are not explained by another diagnosis
- Long Covid: ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 (from 4-12 weeks) and post-COVID-19 syndrome (12 weeks or more)
- Long Covid may result from a number of syndromes. These syndromes include post-ICU syndrome, post-viral fatigue syndrome, long-term Covid syndrome and permanent organ damage
- Long Covid can effect different parts of the body. It can cause a range of debilitating symptoms of varying severity
Find out more about the stages of COVID-19 in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Knowledge Summary for Long-term Effects of Coronavirus.
COVID-19 can more severely affect older age groups, black and minority ethnic groups, those with other health conditions, and deprived populations. This can make health inequalities worse.
Good nutrition benefits everyone's recovery from COVID-19. This makes nutrition and diet an important part of COVID-19 recovery. People with long-term conditions or poor general health are more likely to be at risk of poor nutrition. Poor nutrition is often called malnutrition and includes both under and over nutrition.
References
- Butler MJ, Barrientos RM. The impact of nutrition on COVID-19 susceptibility and long-term consequences. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Jul;87:53–4.
- Davis HE, Assaf GS, McCorkell L, Wei H, Low RJ, Re’em Y, et al. Characterizing Long COVID in an International Cohort: 7 Months of Symptoms and Their Impact. medRxiv. 2021 Apr 5;2020.12.24.20248802.
- National guidance for post-COVID syndrome assessment clinics (6 November 2020) [Internet]. Patient Safety Learning - the hub. [cited 2021 Jan 9]. Available from: https://www.pslhub.org/learn/coronavirus-covid19/guidance/national-guidance-for-post-covid-syndrome-assessment-clinics-6-november-2020-r3465/
- Zabetakis I, Lordan R, Norton C, Tsoupras A. COVID-19: The Inflammation Link and the Role of Nutrition in Potential Mitigation. Nutrients. 2020 May 19;12(5):1466.
Endorsements
We are grateful for the support of the following organisations, which endorse the Knowledge Hub.
Disclaimers
Nutrition and diet do not substitute vaccination or medically advised COVID-19 treatments.
This Knowledge Hub is designed to provide information for the general public and those working in health and social care. It is not a substitute for proper medical diagnosis or dietary advice given by a dietitian. Dietary advice is complex and can be difficult to put into practice. Individual responses to dietary changes are highly variable.
The information in this Knowledge Hub is not personalised. Individuals are advised to seek guidance from a registered dietitian or nutritionist for personalised nutritional support and advice.
To check your dietitian is registered check www.hcpc-uk.org
The research team who designs, edits, reviews and updates the Knowledge Hub has no conflict of interest to report.
The British Dietetic Association (BDA) is acting as a host website for this information only. The Nutrition and COVID-19 Recovery Knowledge Hub was created independently by the University of Plymouth in 2021 and has not been developed or reviewed by the BDA. Unless specifically stated, documents included have not been endorsed by the BDA. The views and information expressed are those of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the BDA.
We welcome your comments or feedback. Get in touch with the University of Plymouth research team here.