"Study Links High-Fat Diets to Immune Changes and Elevated COVID-19 Risk"

A study by the University of California - Riverside found that high-fat diets, particularly those rich in coconut oil and unmodified soybean oil, can increase the expression of ACE2 and other proteins that facilitate COVID-19 virus entry into cells. These diets not only affect fat metabolism and gut bacteria composition but also impair immune system genes, potentially increasing susceptibility to infectious diseases. The research, conducted on mice over a 24-week period, suggests that long-term consumption of high-fat diets may pose additional risks for COVID-19 beyond the already established risk factors of obesity and diabetes.