Nutrición y pandemia de la COVID-19

Álvarez, J.; Lallena, S.; Bernal, M.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant challenge to public health systems worldwide. Obesity and malnutrition, two silent pandemics that were present before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, condition risk of the disease worsening in infected patients. Patients with this illness present with a high risk of disease-related malnutrition (DRM) and sarcopenia due to symptoms arising from the infection itself, acute inflammation, prolonged bed rest, and the supportive therapies used. Nowadays, along with respiratory support, nutritional support is essential to healthcare for patients with coronavirus infection throughout their progress. The nutritional approach is a dynamic process that includes strengthening the normal diet and specialized nutritional treatment (SNT) with the use of oral supplements, enteral nutrition, or parenteral nutrition according to each patient's requirements and needs. In this update, we review aspects regarding the close relationship between diet, nutrition, and immunity; their impact on the progress of SARS-CoV-2 infection; and the therapeutic strategies proposed by the consensus of experts of scientific societies.