Junk food and sweetened drinks in the era of COVID-19

Abstract

Saturated fats, salt and sugar are questioned as the causes of damage to health that contribute to producing lethal effects when the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus attacks the human body, but there is a huge lack of knowledge of the effects that food additives produce on human metabolism and, therefore, their role in these diseases considered globally within the metabolic syndrome: hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, etc. For this reason, it is important to carry out molecular chemistry studies to understand the role played in metabolism by the different chemical substances that are added to food for its preservation, its flavor, its color, its texture, and other desirable qualities. In addition, other mechanisms for the preservation of food and non-alcoholic beverages that do not harm the human body and that guarantee their availability for the entire population should be sought, especially based on the composition of food sources as raw materials.