Topline
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19 or developing severe disease, according to a large study published Monday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, backing a wealth of research underscoring the numerous health benefits of physical activity as the world looks ahead for ways to live with Covid.
Exercise helps protect against Covid-19, research suggests.
Key Facts
Including regular physical activity in weekly routines helps protect people against Covid-19, according to the peer reviewed analysis of 16 global studies that included more than 1.8 million adults.
Racking up 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, offered the best protection against Covid infection and severe disease, the researchers found.
Regular exercisers had an 11% lower risk of Covid infection and a 44% lower risk of serious disease compared to their physically inactive peers, the researchers said.
Those incorporating exercise into their weekly routine also had a 36% lower risk of hospital admission with Covid and 43% lower risk of death from Covid than those who did not, the researchers found.
Lower levels of exercise still offered some protection against the disease, the data suggested.
The researchers said the findings could help policymakers and clinicians develop guidelines to help reduce the risk of Covid-19, though they noted the results could be weakened by the use of studies with different research methods and by subjective assessments of activity, and they cautioned the work only concerned beta and delta coronavirus variants, not the omicron variants that dominate today.
What We Don’t Know
The researchers said it wasn’t clear how exercise reduces the risk of Covid-19. It is likely to be a combination of environmental and metabolic factors, they said. Physical activity is well known to have a positive effect on immunity, the researchers noted, and offers a likely explanation for protection against Covid. It is known to boost the immune system and the body’s anti-inflammatory responses, for example, as well as mitigate the negative effects of stress on immunity. The higher level of cardiovascular and muscular fitness in people who exercise regularly could also help explain why it protects against severe disease, hospitalization and death from Covid, the researchers added.
Key Background
That regular exercise offers protection against Covid-19 is not surprising. Exercise has been shown to boost the immune system and lower the chances of catching viral infections like the common cold. Those who are infected tend to recover faster than their less active counterparts. Exercise also helps improve outcomes for those with conditions considered risk factors for Covid-19 like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. There is also a wealth of research documenting the numerous health benefits of physical activity and that it helps people live longer. A recent study suggests performing as much as 300 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, or up to 600 minutes of moderate activity—four times what current guidelines suggest—significantly reduces mortality risks.
Further Reading
‘I Had Never Felt Worse’: Long Covid Sufferers Are Struggling With Exercise (NYT)
How to move: exercising after having Covid-19 (Guardian)
If You Want To Live Longer, This Study Suggests You Exercise A Lot More Than Previously Recommended (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/08/22/regular-exercise-slashes-risk-of-covid-study-suggests/