Preventative Measures: Corona Virus

(written March 6, 2020)

I will take the following steps to improve my diet:

• Eating oatmeal for breakfast as opposed to cereal

  • I will include fruits such as strawberries and bananas in my breakfast

  • I will eat a solid breakfast so that I am set for the rest of the day

• I will avoid eating food with white flour such as crackers, cake, etc.

• I will take at least one fresh juice or milkshake daily

• I will reduce snacking between meals

• I will drink sufficient water daily (8-11 cups as recommended by health specialists)

• I will try to follow the 50/50 principle (e.g. have daal and rice with a side of raw vegetables))

Why do we need to improve our diet?

Below, I will explain the reason for why it is vital for everyone to maintain healthy diets to avoid getting COVID-19, a coronavirus that is spreading rapidly across the world right now. THE COVID-19 virus spread mostly from bats to pangolinS and then to humans.

First of all, what is a virus?

A virus is a biological agent that performs a specific function that is directed by its genetic material. A virus contains genetic material such as DNA or RNA and it has a shell made of proteins to protect these genetic materials which give the instructions for the virus to replicate. It is extremely small in size compared to cells, apparently so small that if bacteria were to have eyes, even they would not be able to see some viruses.

Despite having those above mentioned capabilities, viruses are not living things since they lack many of the characteristics of life. (This is still a topic which is debated by scientists today.)

What is the function of viruses?

Viruses, despite not being living things, still have the ability to replicate. However, there is one caveat. It cannot replicate without using the facilities of an actual organism, which are the hosts for the virus. It can use any living thing: humans, bacteria, insects, aquatics, plants, etc. Most viruses are usually extremely specific about picking their hosts and staying within those ecosystems. However, when we disrupt those animal ecosystems, those viruses can transmit from animal hosts to human hosts as can be seen with the novel coronavirus.

How do viruses replicate?

Once the virus picks a host, there are usually two ways in which it can perform virus replication. One process is the lytic cycle and the other process is called the lysogenic cycle. Both processes are explained below:

Lytic cycle:

• Virus attaches to the outside of host

• Virus injects DNA into the host or in some cases enters the host itself

• The virus uses its own DNA to mutate or change the DNA of the host

• The virus manipulates the cell to continuously create daughter viruses

• Eventually, due to limited carrying capacity, the membrane of the host cell will rupture, causing the cell to die, any allowing the viruses to spread

Lysogenic cycle:

• Follows the same process as the lytic cycle in the beginning

• However, in this case, the virus makes its own genetic material attach to the cell’s DNA

• When the cell performs mitosis, or cell division, then it keeps dividing normally but WITH the virus’ DNA

• Eventually some external or internal factors such as the host’s health or chemicals cause the cell to keep creating daughter viruses causing many host cells to die

Why are viruses harmful?

As explained in the virus replication cycles, viruses cause harm to their hosts by killing the host cells. When enough host cells die, there would be an impact to the functions of the body that can cause irreparable damage.

For example, let's take white blood cells, which are responsible for maintaining the immunity of an organism. They kill pathogens (harmful foreign bodies), which enter the bloodstream. If a virus were to attack a leukocyte through any of the two replication cycles, the number of leukocytes in the bloodstream would decrease, because the virus would kill the white blood cells. Gradually, your body would not be able to detect pathogens and you could get easily affected by extremely harmful diseases.

What about Coronavirus?

COVID-19 specifically affects the cells in the lungs. It enters the cells in the lungs, replicates itself very rapidly and it kills them gradually. Due to this invasion of the COVID-19, people could be affected by ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) where the lung gets filled with fluid and causes breathing to become extremely difficult or impossible. Due to this, septic shock, the condition in which the blood pressure decreases dramatically and the organs are starved of oxygen, could happen. This is the main cause of death due to the virus.

How does improving my diet help?

It is shown that by improving diet and getting a healthy amount of carbs, sugars, proteins, and fats, your body’s cells are able to function properly. Food is a really important factor that can affect risk since we are directly inputting it into our bodies.

Proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, and lipids are macromolecules that contain energy in the form of carbon. Carbon is the source of energy in food. When our food is digested, enzymes in the stomach and the intestine break the bonds of the carbon and create energy (ATP). This energy is vital for performing important cell functions and is the origin of energy for the cell.

When our cells have energy, they are able to function properly and therefore, it is harder for them to explode due to viruses. It is easier for viruses to take over cells which are weaker and kill them. Even though most young people are not prone to coronavirus, it is important that we maintain a healthy diet that can protect ourselves from being susceptible in our senior years. Those people who do not maintain a healthy diet and already have pre-existing illnesses are at a much higher risk for getting coronavirus.