Regular physical activity promotes physical and mental well-being and reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Findings from a new study suggest that regular physical activity also reduces the risk of developing COVID-19.
Most international public health organizations recommend that adults of all ages engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical exercise or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical exercise each week, or an equivalent combination of both. Most adults fall far short of these recommendations, however.
The retrospective observational study involved more than 48,000 patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and October 2020. The study investigators obtained data regarding the patients' physical activity levels in the two-year period between March 2018 and March 2020 via their electronic health records. They categorized the patients as “consistently inactive” (zero to 10 minutes per week), having “some activity” (11 to 149 minutes per week), or “consistently meeting guidelines” (150+ minutes per week).
Statistical analysis revealed that COVID-19 patients who were consistently inactive were 2.26 times more likely to be hospitalized; 1.73 times more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 2.49 times more likely to die due to COVID-19 than patients who were consistently meeting guidelines. Engaging in some activity mitigated risk slightly: Consistently inactive patients were 1.2 times more likely to be hospitalized, 1.1 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU, and 1.32 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than patients who were doing some physical activity.
These findings suggest that physical activity decreases the risk of developing COVID-19 and underscore public health messaging to promote regular physical activity. For people who are unable to regularly engage in exercise due to physical limitations or injury, sauna use may be an alternative. Heat exposure during sauna use mimics many of the physiological responses to exercise, including immune-boosting effects. Learn more about sauna use in our overview article.
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