Potential Role of Functional Foods in the Management of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant

Abstract Omicron is a more contagious variant of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), commonly known as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19). Dietary management of COVID-19 with functional foods plays a significant role in reducing cytokine storm and the viral replication and survival. A thorough literature search was performed in electronic databases such as PubMed and EMBASE using the keywords Coronavirus, COVID-19, Omicron, functional foods, and phytonutrient. In total, 77 research articles were identified; of those, 10 papers were included after title, abstract and full text review. Most commonly used phytonutrients for the management of COVID-19 include bromelain, curcumin, quercetin, gingerol and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). These phytonutrients possessed anti-inflammatory properties, and were effective in targeting the spike proteins and docking sites of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby preventing viral replication and survival. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published review indicating the significance of functional foods in reducing the severity of the Omicron variant.