People who exercise regularly have a better chance of surviving COVID-19 compared to those who exercise less, according to a new study.
The research of 7 April, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that COVID-19 patients who exercise regularly, compared to people who are consistently inactive, have a lower chance of being admitted to the hospital, requiring ICU care and dying from the coronavirus.
Doctors in Kaiser Permanente, Southern California, who led the study, included 48,440 subjects who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 2020 and October 2020, and asked how often they had exercised during the previous two years. They measured the responses to the Vital Sign exercise, a standard that determines whether people meet the government’s guidelines for physical activity for Americans. The most recent version, updated in 2018, recommends that adults do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes to 150 minutes of intense exercise weekly, with additional guidelines for strength training.
These are the main findings:
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People who were ‘consistently inactive’, meaning they exercised from 0 to 10 minutes a week, had a greater chance of hospitalization of 2.26, a greater chance of ICU admission and a 1.49 greater chance of death due to COVID-19 compared to patients who are consistently active.
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People who did ‘some activity’, which was equal to 11 to 149 minutes per week, had a 1.89 greater chance of hospitalization, a 1.58 greater chance of ICU admission and a 1.88 times greater chance of death than those who were consistently active.
‘We know from years of studies that exercise enhances immune function and [improves] mental health, ”Robert E. Sallis, a general practitioner in sports and sports medicine at the Kaiser Permanent Fontana Medical Center, told Yahoo Life. “If you look at the risk factors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19 – diabetes, heart disease and more – it can usually be helped with regular physical activity.”
He adds: “It does not require much activity – 30 minutes of walking, five times a week.”
And a little action helps. ‘You can break up movement in many ways and the [weekly] benefits seem to be equal, ”says Sallis. ‘[In theory], even if you got all your weekly movements in one day, it’s still a good benefit, although your risk of injury increases. ”
In December, another study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine confirms that people who move 11 minutes a day and sit for less than 8.5 hours a day reduce their risk of premature death. “I think an important message here is that there are many different ways to reduce your health risk in terms of exercise,” said co-author Keith Diaz, a certified exercise physiologist and assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University. . Fast company.
Sallis hopes the findings are a clear message that can empower the public. “We do not say, ‘Do not wear a mask,’ or ‘You do not need the vaccine,'” he says. “But exercise is the best thing you can do to improve your chances. [surviving] COVID-19. “
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