Topline
Getting more exercise can help cut the risk of severe Covid-19, hospitalization and death, according to a study published Thursday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which suggests getting more exercise is better and adds to growing research underscoring the protective barrier physical activity provides against serious Covid.
Exercise protects against severe Covid outcomes, researchers found.
Key Facts
The study analyzed the electronic health records of nearly 200,000 adult patients at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California who were diagnosed with Covid-19 between January 2020 and May 2021, grouping them into five categories based on activity levels, ranging from consistently inactive (a median activity of 0 minutes per week) to always active (a median activity of 300 minutes per week).
The more active patients were prior to infection, the lower the risk of hospitalization or death within 90 days of the Covid-19 diagnosis, the researchers found, with the most active patients facing the lowest risk and each lower category increasing the odds of poor outcomes.
Always inactive patients were 191% more likely to be hospitalized and 391% more likely to die than those who were always active, the researchers found, a relative risk respectively dropping to 143% and 192% among somewhat active patients (median 90 minutes activity per week) and to 125% and 155% among consistently active patients (60-150 minutes a week median activity).
The finding was consistent across all major demographic groups—including race, ethnicity, sex and age—the researchers said, suggesting exercise was beneficial in spite of the major disparities in infection rates and outcomes across demographic groups.
More exercise was even linked with lower rates of hospitalization or death for patients with chronic conditions like hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular disease that place them at greater risk of serious illness, the researchers said.
Effectively, “the more exercise the better,” said Dr. Deborah Rohm Young, director of the behavioral research division for the Kaiser Permanente Southern California department of research and evaluation and the study’s lead author.
Tangent
While the researchers found benefits of increased exercise against Covid for all groups, they found the stepwise improvements of boosting activity differed for some groups. The risk reduction associated with getting more exercise was less pronounced among older age groups and those with higher body mass index, for example, though still beneficial. “The main message is that every little bit of physical activity counts,” Young said.
What We Don’t Know
The study was conducted before Covid-19 vaccines were widely available. As a result, the researchers said they could not determine whether increased activity levels would improve outcomes among vaccinated people.
Key Background
The finding adds to a large pile of research demonstrating the broad health benefits of exercise and more specific protective effects against Covid-19. The researchers called for public health leaders to add physical activity to the list of public health strategies used to manage the pandemic and to encourage the public to get more active in order to protect themselves. Dr. Robert Sallis, one of the study’s senior authors, said the findings highlight getting vaccinated and being more physically active as “two of the most important things you can do to prevent severe outcomes of Covid-19.”
Further Reading
If You Want To Live Longer, This Study Suggests You Exercise A Lot More Than Previously Recommended (Forbes)
Regular Exercise Slashes Risk Of Covid, Study Suggests (Forbes)
‘I Had Never Felt Worse’: Long Covid Sufferers Are Struggling With Exercise (NYT)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/12/15/getting-more-exercise-the-more-exercise-the-better-cuts-risk-of-severe-covid-study-finds/