If anti-inflammatory drugs can aggravate COVID-19, would the same be the case for anti-inflammatory foods and supplements?

People are reducing a complex issue down too simply.

Cellular Immune Responses to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus \(SARS-CoV\) Infection in Senescent BALB/c Mice: CD4+ T Cells Are Important in Control of SARS-CoV Infection

So COVID-19 has a two-stage inflammatory response. Initially, your body's inflammatory response is needed to help fight off and clear the virus from the lungs. Inhibiting that process at that stage can make is easier to get and spread. However, once you have it, the second stage of the inflammatory response is what sets off pneumonia. So you want to inhibit the inflammatory response at that stage.

So what is this all about ibuprofen? Well one of the main vectors the SARS-CoV-2 virus enters and infects the body depends on ACE2, or angiotensin-converting enzyme 2.

SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor

It just so happens that ibuprofen up-regulates ACE2. This is likely the reason for the caution. ACE2 is also up-regulated in smokers, which means they are likely at risk for being susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Now that does NOT mean it is settled yet. Don't go out and say for sure you should avoid ibuprofen unless your doctor tells you to. However, these are likely the mechanisms behind what is happening.

Remember, an inflammatory and oxidative response is what is leading to the serious lung issues with COVID-19. So that is why doctors are treating cases with things that are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The two-stage response to this virus is why this is not making sense for most people. Be careful not to oversimplify things too much as new research comes out. Remember, this is a novel virus. We still have a lot to learn about it. We will know more as time goes on. Stay safe!