Literature Review: The Role of Balanced Nutrition in Improving Body Immunity During the Pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62872/5dfzba28Keywords:
Balanced nutrition, Body immunity, PandemicAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised global awareness of the importance of a strong immune system as the body's primary defense against infection. One of the key factors that influences immunity is a balanced nutritious diet. This study uses a qualitative approach with a literature study method to analyze the role of balanced nutrition in improving immunity during the pandemic. The results of the study show that macronutrients such as protein and micronutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and minerals such as zinc and selenium have a significant contribution to supporting the immune system. Deficiency of any one of these nutrients has been shown to weaken the immune response and increase the risk of infection. On the other hand, many people still do not understand the principles of balanced nutrition as a whole, resulting in erroneous consumption practices, such as relying on supplements without paying attention to holistic diets. In addition, disinformation during the pandemic has exacerbated the gap in public nutritional knowledge. Therefore, education based on scientific evidence is very important to build a correct understanding of the role of nutrition in maintaining immunity. The results of this study are expected to be a reference in formulating strategies to improve public health through a sustainable nutritional approach
Downloads
References
Biesalski, H. K. (2016). Nutrition and Immune Function — Overview. Nutrients, 8(10), 623.
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40.
Calder, P. C. (2020). Nutrition, Immunity and COVID-19. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 3(1), 74–92.
Calder, P. C., Carr, A. C., Gombart, A. F., & Eggersdorfer, M. (2020). Optimal Nutritional Status for a Well Functioning Immune System Is an Important Factor to Protect Against Viral Infections. Nutrients, 12(4), 1181.
Carr, A. C., & Maggini, S. (2017). Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients, 9(11), 1211.
Chandra, R. K. (1997). Nutrition and the Immune System: An Introduction. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 66(2), 460S–463S.
Gaffen, S. L., Jain, R., Garg, A. V., & Cua, D. J. (2014). The IL 23–IL 17 Immune Axis: From Basic Mechanisms to Clinical Applications. Immunological Reviews, 260(1), 117–144.
Gombart, A. F., Pierre, A., & Maggini, S. (2020). A Review of Micronutrients and the Immune System–Working in Harmony to Reduce the Risk of Infection. Nutrients, 12(1), 236.
Maggini, S., Pierre, A., & Calder, P. C. (2018). Immune Function and Micronutrient Requirements Change over the Life Course. Nutrients, 10(10), 1531.
Maguire, J. D., et al. (2021). Community Interventions for Improved Nutrition and Immunity: Lessons from COVID 19. Global Health Promotion, 28(3), 26–35.
Martineau, A. R., Jolliffe, D. A., Greenberg, L., Aloia, J. F., Bergman, P., Dubnov Raz, G., ... & Camargo, C. A. (2017). Vitamin D Supplementation to Prevent Acute Respiratory Tract Infections: Systematic Review and Meta Analysis of Individual Participant Data. BMJ, 356, i6583.
Martzolff, C. M. (2020). Public Health and Nutrition in the COVID 19 Era. Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism, 24, 100188.
Meydani, S. N., & Beharka, A. (2000). Vitamin E Supplementation and Infection in the Elderly. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 928, 80–95.
Pathak, P., Dutta, P., Soni, A., Chandrashekar, P. K., Reddy, P. C., & Rao, A. (2020). Vitamin D Prevents COVID 19 Infection Severity: Demystifying the Evidence. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 97(1157), 442–449.
Pellegrino, R. M., et al. (2019). Micronutrients in the Prevention, Treatment, and Controlled Recovery of COVID 19. Nutrients, 11(10), 2359.
Prasad, A. S. (2008). Zinc in Human Health: Effect of Zinc on Immune Cells. Molecular Medicine, 14(5–6), 353–357.
Santos, A. C., et al. (2022). Effectiveness of Nutritional Education to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Intake During Pandemic. Public Health Nutrition, 25(7), 2092–2102.
Semba, R. D. (2012). The Role of Vitamin A and Vitamin A Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Infections. Acta Paediatrica, 101(12), 1461–1465.
Shaw, A. C., Goldstein, D. R., & Montgomery, R. R. (2013). Age Dependent Dysregulation of Innate Immunity. Nature Reviews Immunology, 13(12), 875–887.
Smith, D., & Johnson, L. (2021). Disinformation and Nutrition Myths During COVID 19. Journal of Health Communication, 26(3), 189–198.
Smith, M. R., & McGowan, C. R. (2018). Nutrition and Respiratory Infections in Children. Paediatrics & Child Health, 24(6), 377–383.
Te Velthuis, A. J. W., Van den Worm, S. H. E., & Snijder, E. J. (2010). The Role of Zinc in Viral Infections. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 11(9), 3288–3300.
WHO. (2020). Food-based Dietary Guidelines. World Health Organization Nutrition Guidance.
World Health Organization. (2020). Nutrition Advice for Adults During the COVID 19 Outbreak.
Zhang, L., & Liu, Y. (2020). Potential Interventions for Novel Coronavirus in China: A Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Virology, 92(5), 479–490.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Firayani Firayani (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
