Table 5.
Recommendations for prevention or treatment of viral infections.
| Condition/nutrient | Prevention | Treatment | Dose | Food sourcesa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy | Follow local food based dietary guideline [89] | Initial nutritional screening using validated nutritional assessment tool (e.g. NRS-2002) and treat accordingly [100] | NA | NA |
| Malnutrition | Those with protein-energy malnutrition require structured dietary advices focusing on increasing calories. Furthermore, they may require MVM [90] | Refer to dieticians/nutritionist. Personalized dietary advices are required with support of ONS and MVM. | NA | NA |
| Obesity | Follow caloric restricted dietary plan covering all major food groups in adequate portions, under health specialist supervision [81,82,92] | Weight loss not advisable [83] | NA | NA |
| Diabetes | Foods with low glycemic index, limit consumption of high fat and starchy or sugary foods, and choose lean protein variety [93] | Refer to dieticians/nutritionist. Personalized dietary advices are required [102,103] | NA | NA |
| Energy intake | No change | Increase by 10% [101] | NA | NA |
| Multi-nutrients | Supplementation may be effective for vulnerable population and those who have poor dietary practices [33,91] | Supplementation may be effective for those who have poor dietary intake before and during the illness [91] | P:1 x RDI T: 1x RDI |
NA |
| Vitamin A | Supplementation may be effective [2,16] | Supplementation may be effective [2,16] | P:5000IU/d T:20000IU/d |
AS: Liver, eggs, milk, cheese V:Dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, mangos, papayas, sweet potatoes |
| Vitamin D | Supplementation may be effective especially those who are deficient and those who are in self-quarantine [21,23,97,98] | Measure serum vitamin status and treat accordingly [22,24,25,98]. | P: 5000IU/d T:10000IU/d |
AS: Oily fish (salmon, sardines), egg yolk, liver V: Mushrooms |
| Vitamin E | Supplementation may be harmful [27,28] | Supplementation may be harmful [29,30,34] | P:NR T:NR |
AS: Eggs, tuna, salmon V: Wheat germ, sunflower seeds, sunflower oil, almonds, peanuts, |
| Vitamin C | Supplementation unlikely to be beneficial [32] | Supplementation may be effective [32] | P:NR T:1 g/d |
AS: liver, oyster V: citrus fruits, guava, strawberries, pineapple, broccoli, tomato, |
| Zinc | Supplementation may be effective [35] | Supplementation may be effective [3,37,38] | P:20 mg/d T:150 mg/d |
AS: Oysters, beef, pork, chicken V: Backed beans, cashews, pumpkin seeds, almonds, peas |
| Selenium | Supplementation may be effective [4,40,41] | Supplementation may be effective [4,42] | P:50 μg/d T:200 μg/d |
AS: Turkey, eggs, pork, chicken, milk V: Brazilnuts, sunflower seeds, Tofu, whole grain cereals |
| Cooper | Supplementation may be effective [46] | Supplementation unlikely to be beneficial | P:1.6 mg/d T:NR |
AS: Oysters, shellfish, organ meats V: wheat-bran cereals, whole-grain products, seeds and nuts |
| Magnesium | Supplementation unlikely to be beneficial | Supplementation unlikely to be beneficial | P:NR T:NR |
AS: salmon, chicken, beef V: Green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains |
| Nutraceuticals | Supplementation could be beneficial depending on the ingredient [50,[54], [55], [56], [57],[59], [60], [61],[63], [64], [65],67] | Supplementation could be beneficial depending on the ingredient [51,53,58,62,66] | Depend on the product | Garlic, oily fish, cranberry juices, broccoli sprouts |
| Probiotics | Supplementation could be beneficial depending on the strain [[70], [71], [72]] | Supplementation could be beneficial depending on the strain [7,[70], [71], [72]] | Depend on the product | Yogurt, curd |
a
Food sources are from USDA database, MVM - Multivitamin/mineral Supplements; ONS - Oral nutritional supplements; RDI: Recommended Daily Intake; NA: Not applicable; NR: Not recommended; AS- Animal sources; V- Vegetarian sources.