Lower your risk of catching Covid-19: Study suggests routine physical exercise may help

Regular daily fitness may curve risk of severe Covid-19 infections, hospitalization, and even death from the disease, according to a new study. 

Approximately 20 minutes of daily exercise may protect against Covid-19 along with its severe symptoms, according to a new study published Monday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers indicate that a total of 150 minutes of moderate exercise as well as intense physical activity is a healthy defense against the disease. 

However, researchers noted that the study should be read with caution due to its limitations. The team quantified the minutes of necessary physical exercise by analyzing global data from sixteen different studies completed between November 2019 and March 2022. 

The total number of participants from the examined data included 1.8 million people, with an average age of 53. The pooled data showed that regularly exercised individuals had an 11% lower risk of catching Covid-19. Moreover, they had a 36% lower likelihood of being hospitalized, a 44% lower chance of developing serious symptoms, and a 43% fewer chance of death. 

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“Regular physical activity seems to be related to a lower likelihood of adverse Covid-19 outcomes,” the study states. “Our analysis reveals that individuals who engage in regular physical activity have a lower likelihood of Sars-CoV-2 infection, Covid-19 hospitalization, severe Covid-19 illness and Covid-19-related death than physically inactive individuals, independent of design and instrument used.”

The pooled data that the researchers, who are based in Spain, examined came from nine studies conducted in England, Canada, Iran, Brazil, Spain, Palestine, South Africa, Sweden, and South Korea. 

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“The link between regular physical activity and COVID-19 outcomes is poorly understood but likely involves both metabolic and environmental factors,” the researcher added. “A growing body of evidence from several studies has suggested that increased physical activity may modulate the disease course and reduce the development of negative outcomes in confirmed cases of COVID-19.”

Individuals who regularly exercise also lower their chances of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.  

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