According to research conducted by a top research body, Smokers and vegetarians were discovered to have lower seropositivity, while those with blood group ”O” may be less susceptible to coronavirus.
The pan-India serosurvey, completed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), studied the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The virus that affects the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and their neutralization capability to infer possible risk factors for infection.
The study, done by a team of 140 doctors and scientists, analyzed 10,427 adult individuals working in more than 40 CSIR laboratories and centres in urban and semi-urban settings, and their family members. These people willingly participated in the survey.
The survey indicated that despite COVID-19 being a respiratory disease, smoking might be acting as the first line of defense due to its role in expanding mucous production.
It, however, advised that there was a need for focused mechanistic studies to infer the effect of smoking and nicotine on coronavirus infection.
It implied that vegetarian food rich in fiber might have a role to play in giving immunity against COVID-19. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties by mutation of gut microbiota.
The survey also found that those with blood group ”O” may be less vulnerable to infection, while ”B” and ”AB” were at a higher risk.
Seropositivity was highest for blood group type ”AB”, followed by B, it said, adding that blood group ”O” was found to be associated with a lower positivity rate.
Shantanu Sengupta, one of the co-authors of the paper, said the paper was formerly peer-reviewed.
Earlier, two studies from France and similar reports from Italy, China, and New York reported lower COVID-19 infection rates among smokers.
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which told over 7,000 people in the US who tested positive for COVID-19, also had similar findings.
Interestingly, the study displays that only 1.3 percent of survey participants were smokers, compared to the CDC report that 14 percent of all Americans smoke.
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Similarly, UCL (University College London) academics that looked at 28 papers across the UK, China, France, the US, and found the proportions of smokers among hospital patients were lower than foreseen.
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