Two recently published papers on COVID-19 long term effects caught my attention. Nature reported on research that found viral fragments in the gut long after the initial infection, even if it was ‘mild’. Anecdotally, patients have told me that their persisting COVID-19 symptoms (not only gut symptoms – everything from fatigue to brain-fog to chest pain) have eased when they take a daily probiotic and fermented foods, such as kefir, kimchi and kombucha, in addition to a healthy diet. There is some evidence for these supporting immune health and shifting the balance in the gut microbiome to healthy bacteria.
The Lancet published European-wide research on the risk of thromboembolism (blood clots) among those with COVID-19. Unusually the study looked at non-hospitalised patients as well as hospitalised, with over 900,000 patients studied in all. They found that the risk is higher for older people and those with comorbidites such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is also much higher in those with severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation. However, there is a risk of thromboembolism for mild COVID-19 sufferers, indicating that this is a feature of the disease.
Underlying this is the health of the vascular endothelium (VE), the lining of the blood vessels. It is the VE that creates the environment for clots to form – or not – depending on whether it is functioning normally. To support VE health, cut out sugar and – as always – eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and veg. A probiotic can also support VE health as a healthy gut contributes to the mechanism by which VE prevents clotting.
I do wish there was more on healthy diet and the immune system in the mainstream media!