Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- Mohammad Setayesh 1
- Alireza Zahedi-Neyestani 2
- Golamreza Asadikaram 3
- Haleh Tajadini 4
- Masoud Moghadari 1
- Armita Shahesmaeili 5
- Saeideh Jafarinejad-Farsangi 6
- Fatemeh Sadat Hasheminasab 7
- Ehsan Amiri-Ardekani 8
1 Department of Persian Medicine, Faculty of Traditional Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
2 Department of Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Persian Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
3 Applied Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
4 Department of Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Persian Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran ,Physiology Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
5 HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
6 Physiology Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
7 Pharmacology Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
8 Department of Phytopharmaceuticals (Traditional Pharmacy), Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran ,Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran ,Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran ,Scientific Association of Indigenous Knowledge, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as a global concern, has affected different economic and social aspects, as well as health costs in various communities. Finding effective and available treatment is an urgent need. A recent study has demonstrated that the ketogenic diet (KD) activates innate immunity and has a protective property against virus infection. Accordingly, we conducted this study to find the effect of oral medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) on COVID-19 and its clinical manifestations.
Methods: This was a randomized clinical trial on 195 patients clinically suspected of COVID-19 referred to infectious disease clinics of Kerman. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups. The Control group received standard supportive treatment, the recommendation for carbohydrate avoiding and diet modification. Patients in the intervention group received all mentioned recommendations beside MCT oil. Patients` clinical symptoms, including body temperature, respiratory rate, body pain, and dyspnea, were recorded in a checklist and analyzed.
Results: The mean age of patients was 37.78 ± 12.42 years in the intervention group and 40.81 ± 13.23 years in controls (P = 0.231). The patients in the intervention group had lower duration of weakness (P = 0.004), body pain (P = 0.004), dyspnea (P = 0.004), gastrointestinal manifestations (P<0.001), sore throat (P<0.001), increased respiratory rate (P<0.001), and high intensity of cough (P=0.002). Indeed, weakness, cough frequency, sore throat, and gastrointestinal complications were significantly lower in the females of the intervention group (P=0.006, P=0.030, P=0.005, and P=0.001, respectively). In contrast, in the males of the intervention group, manifestations such as respiratory rates, dyspnea, cough intensity, and sore throat were significantly lower than those in the control group. Conclusion: Administration of MCT in outpatients suspected of COVID-19 alleviated clinical symptoms such as increased respiratory rate, cough intensity, dyspnea, body pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms and helps them overcome the probable disease morbidity.
Highlights
Mohammad Setayesh(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
Gholamreza Asadikaram(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
Haleh Tajadini(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
Masoud Moghadari(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
Armita Shahesmaeili(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
Saeideh Jafarinejad-Farsangi(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
Fatemeh Sadat Hasheminasab(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
EhsanAmiri-Ardekani(Google scholar)(Pubmed)
Keywords
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