In the present study, researchers randomly selected individuals referred to a university-affiliated nutrition counseling clinic in Tehran, Iran, between July and September 2021. They arranged a balanced (or weight control) diet for all the recruited participants for a month. All study participants completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with 168 food items with additional information on portion sizes for standard food sizes.
The researchers first collected data on the frequency and the portion size of specific foods consumed by the participants the previous day, month, and year. Next, using a home scale manual, they converted the consumed food quantities into grams for each day. Finally, they computed, for each participant, the total calorie, protein, fat, and carbohydrate consumption for each day. In addition, they collected data on each person’s activity level, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI).
Furthermore, the researchers evaluated their metabolic and biochemical parameters following 12-hour fasting, e.g., insulin concentration. They also measured fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM), indicating one’s body mass composition, using the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) technique. The team evaluated the participants on all these parameters in a follow-up session scheduled one month after their first visit. All the participants with mild to moderate covid-19, as assessed by a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, constituted the case group of the study. The remaining healthy cohort formed the control group.
Editor’s Note: So, now ‘covid’ is being blamed for making people fat? Not all the pharmaceutical drugs, lack of nutrition and unstable mental health? — mmd