Epigenetic Diet Information To Prevent COVID 19

Epigenetic Prevention/Control by Epigenetic Diet

Oranges, onions, berries, and tea — 
Epigenetic diet for me. 
Having them plenty every day, 
COVID-19 is kept away.

Certain foods, especially fruits that contain abundant bioactive compounds, have been shown to modify the epigenome leading to beneficial health outcomes including anti-viral effects. Specifically, to help reduce risk of infection by SARS-Cov-2, one should take note of the following: (a) the fruits should contain the most effective compounds against the virus through proven enzyme/protein targets; and (b) sufficient amount of such compounds should be obtained from the diet in order to reach an effective concentration in the body to suppress viral infection. Based on this principle and scientific literature, several flavonoids have been selected and such compounds could be potentially the most helpful in reducing infection risk: 

Quercetin (depicted above) and its derivatives are flavonols and most abundant in onion and juniper berries. The target enzyme/proteins by quercetin are ACE-2, 3CLpro, and helicase. Molecular docking indicates a good interaction between quercetin and these proteins.  It was reported that quercetin is quite effective against the SARS virus.[7]

Compounds Naringenin, Luteolin, Hesperetin, Hesperidin (depicted above in respective order) — are flavonones mainly found in citrus fruits and are the most abundant in oranges. Luteolin  is also quite rich in juniper berries.  Molecular docking shows these compounds can interact well with ACE-2, furin, 3CLpro, and/or the virus S protein.[8]

EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) is a specific flavanol derivative, flavan-3-ol. Green tea contains the most EGCG. Molecular docking shows EGCG can interact well with DNMTs, ACE-2, and helicase.[9]

Listed in Table 1 are key compound contents in the aforementioned foods, as well as target enzymes/proteins, EC50 (effective concentration to inhibit 50% of viral or key protein activity), PPC (peak plasma concentration), and consumption amount needed to achieve the PPC after intake of these compounds.[10-16]

Table 1:

Table 1. List of potentially effective foods and their key compound(s) that may reduce risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection; * = Coronavirus or critical protein inhibition; ** = 0.4 is for DNMTs, 4.3 for coronavirus inhibition, and 0.3 for viral helicase.

Amount of Food to Consume

The inhibition of viral infection is dependent on the plasma concentration of the inhibitors. In general, 300 g of fresh red onion, 300 ml of squeezed orange juice, 1 g of green tea, and 50 g juniper berries would achieve the necessary PPC of quercetin, hesperidin, EGCG, and luteolin, respectively as described in Table 1. 

Quercetin alone could achieve a PPC for 50% virus inhibition with 150 mg amount intake, which could be obtained from 300 g of onion. EGCG alone may also have a good inhibitory effect on the virus with a sufficient amount (i.e., 400 mg), as low EC50 for the virus can be achieved.  Other compounds alone may not be sufficient to significantly inhibit the virus. However, an additive effect to strongly suppress the virus could be achieved with these compounds together as they target the same enzyme/proteins. 

The active compounds from orange and juniper berries can be simply obtained by eating these fruits directly, or drinking the juice from them. The best cooking method for onions is light frying or sautéing that will retain nearly 100% of quercetin for intake. To maximize EGCG from green tea, the best method would be to using 5 g of green tea in 300 ml of water, brewed at 85 degrees Celsius for 3 minutes. EGCG content is expected to reach a maximum of 50 mg per 100 ml of water.

Eating the right foods is an easy and convenient way strengthen your defenses against this virus with a diet that is readily available.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended for clinical or diagnostic applications and its information is implied through scientific evidence, and may contain points that represent a speculative opinion of the author based on related scholarly publications on in vitro animal and human studies.

Source:  https://www.whatisepigenetics.com/bolstering-your-defenses-against-covid-19-an-epigenetic-diet/