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Overseas research results have shown that even light exercise is effective for diabetes and depression, which can be experienced following recovering from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The research team explained that walking for 30 minutes a day can be effective.
According to foreign media on the 14th, a research team at the Fannington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana, USA, announced that exercise can break the vicious cycle of inflammation that can develop into diabetes and depression following recovering from COVID-19. The research results will be published in the international academic journal ‘Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews’ in April.
Corona 19 long-term sequelae (long covid) refers to a condition in which symptoms persist even following recovering from COVID-19 infection. Although the virus is not active, the typical symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, or ‘brain fog’. Neurological diseases such as cognitive impairment, diabetes, and depression may also occur.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined long-term sequelae of COVID-19 as “a condition in which one or more unexplained symptoms persist for at least two months within three months of being infected with COVID-19”.
The research team said, “The long-term sequelae of COVID-19 can not only cause depression, but also research results are known that it can raise blood sugar levels enough to cause diabetic ketoacidosis. It manages phosphorus inflammation.”
The researchers added that exercise might help prevent high blood sugar levels and stop the onset or progression of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers explained that hyperglycemia develops when immune metabolic homeostasis is disrupted following infection with COVID-19. High glucose levels caused by psychological stress, persistent inflammation, or beta (β) cell dysfunction lead to activation of the ‘NLRP3 inflammasome’ that induces an inflammatory response.
In this case, exercise can increase insulin sensitivity by inducing the release of circulating factors that mediate anti-inflammatory responses and supporting brain homeostasis.
Our cells use glucose (blood sugar) in the blood as an energy source. Insulin lowers blood sugar by allowing cells to use blood sugar as an energy source. At this time, if insulin sensitivity is lowered, the effect of reducing blood sugar with the same amount of insulin may decrease, leading to type 2 diabetes.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is caused by insufficient insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells. It occurs most often in type 1 diabetic patients who are congenitally deficient in insulin secretion, but it also occurs in type 2 diabetic patients when insulin secretion is rapidly reduced due to mental and physical stress.
Diabetic symptoms such as polyuria, weight loss, weakness, vomiting, and abdominal pain may appear following drinking a lot of water, and you may lose consciousness due to metabolic acidosis. When metabolic acidosis occurs, a fruity scent (acetone scent) may be emitted when breathing.
“It’s unclear how many people are suffering from the long-term sequelae of COVID-19, but it’s estimated to be between 15 and 80 percent of those infected,” said Candida Rebel, a researcher at the Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory at the Pannington Center for Biomedical Research.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), as of 00:00 on the 13th, the total number of cumulative COVID-19 cases in Korea was 6,556,453. Therefore, if Dr. Revello’s estimates are applied to Korea, it is calculated that more than 5.24 million people in Korea may suffer from long-term sequelae of COVID-19.
“You don’t have to run a mile or walk at a fast pace,” said Dr. Reblo. “Ideally, it’s good to exercise for 30 minutes, but if you can do it for 15 minutes at a time, it’s 15 minutes. “You can do it twice in a minute. If you can only walk for 15 minutes once a day, that’s fine.”
“The important thing is to try the exercise. No matter what level you start at, you can gradually increase it to the recommended amount,” he added.
“Physical activity is a key component of a healthy life,” the researchers said. “This study shows that exercise can be used to break the inflammatory chain reaction that leads to high blood sugar levels and halt the onset or progression of type 2 diabetes.” said.
