“The risk of infection, hospitalization, aggravation, and death decreased by 11%, 36%, 44%, and 43%, respectively.”
“Exercise, help to increase immune cells and antibodies and improve inflammatory response, cardiovascular and muscular strength”
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People who exercise regularly, such as exercising for regarding 20 minutes a day, are less likely to contract the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and reduce the risk of hospitalization, aggravation, and death even if infected, a study has found. .
The research team argues that regular exercise helps to prevent infection by increasing immune cells and antibodies, and it helps to improve cardiovascular and muscle strength as well as inflammatory response, which can be beneficially affected even in the case of COVID-19 infection.
According to the medical community on the 26th, a joint research team, including the University of Valencia in Spain, studied the relationship between physical activity and the risk of COVID-19 virus infection, COVID-19-related hospitalization, seriousness or death. It can even prevent infection.”
Exercise is known to have a positive effect on obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are factors that aggravate the severity of COVID-19.
The research team previously analyzed 16 existing studies that studied the effect of regular physical activity on COVID-19. The research team conducted a study on 1,853,610 people in Korea, the UK, Iran, Canada, the UK, Spain, Brazil, Palestine, South Africa and Sweden from November 2019 to March 2022. The average age of the participants was 53.2 years, and 53% were women.
However, many studies were conducted in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, before vaccinations began.
A total of 134,639 of the participants tested positive for COVID-19, and 2984 were hospitalized with COVID-19. The disease progressed to such a degree that 7009 people were treated with ventilators or hospitalized in the intensive care unit, and 2,788 people died from COVID-19.
The analysis found that those who exercised regularly had an 11% reduced risk of contracting COVID-19. Compared to those who did not exercise even if they were infected with COVID-19, they had a 36% lower risk of hospitalization, a 44% lower risk of progression to severe illness, and a 43% lower risk of death.
According to the research team, the effect was highest when regarding 500 minutes of medical exercise therapy (MET) a week was performed. This corresponds to regarding 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise such as walking and regarding 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise such as running, soccer, and swimming. That’s regarding 21 minutes a day. MET refers to the amount of energy (calories) expended per minute of exercise.
The effect of such exercise is not limited to COVID-19. According to the results of a recently reported study, regular moderate-intensity exercise was associated with a 31 percent lower risk of infectious disease and a 37 percent lower risk of death. There are also reports that regular exercise reduces the risk of acute respiratory infections such as community pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections.
The research team said, “This analysis was an observational study and focused on the COVID-19 beta mutation and delta mutation. In addition, it helps to improve cardiovascular and muscular strength as well as inflammatory response, so it can be beneficially affected even in the case of COVID-19 infection.”
“It’s time to think of exercise as medicine,” said Yasmin Ezatvar, a lecturer at the University of Valencia. “This is evidence that confirms it.”
The study was published on the 22nd in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) under the British Medical Association (BMJ).
Lee Seung-gu, online news reporter lee_owl@segye.com
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