1Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies, Research Institute in Applied Sciences and Technologies (IRSAT/CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology, Laboratory of Applied Biochemistry and Immunology (LABIA), University Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Journal of Food and Nutrition Research.
2022,
Vol. 10 No. 1, 65-73
DOI: 10.12691/jfnr-10-1-9
Copyright © 2022 Science and Education PublishingCite this paper: Fabrice Bationo, Mahamadé Goubgou, Diarra Compaoré-Sérémé. The Importance of Food Plant Nutrients in the Management of Severe Respiratory Infections Focusing on Their Immunomodulatory, Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties.
Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2022; 10(1):65-73. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-10-1-9.
Correspondence to: Fabrice Bationo, Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies, Research Institute in Applied Sciences and Technologies (IRSAT/CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Email:
fabationo@gmail.comAbstract
Respiratory tract infections are currently a public health emergency of international concern. In addition to the worldwide public-health vaccination campaigns and treatments, emphasis could be placed on promoting the consumption of food plants rich in immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant micronutrients as a sustainable solution. The potential of local foods in Africa is not well known for this purpose. In this review, the aim is to correlate the evidence from previous and recent studies on the effects of food plants on immunity and respiratory tract infections to the evaluation of the potential benefits of the consumption of African indigenous and traditional plants based foods in the newly emerging respiratory infectious agent’s context. A number of studies have shown that vitamins (A, C, E, B2, B6 and B9) and mineral (zinc and iron) may have the potential to benefit both healthy people and patients against respiratory infections including COVID-19 due to their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Several African plants based food have the potential to provide these essential non-synthetic micronutrients to preserve organism defense mechanisms against infectious agents or to manage clinical symptoms of respiratory diseases.
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