Regular physical activity can help lower the risk of infection from Covid-19 and severe illness from the virus, including hospital admission and death, according to new research.
University researchers in Spain have found that 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week offers the best protection against the disease.
The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, highlights the benefits of engaging in physical activity as a public health strategy to reduce the risks from Covid-19.
Academics at the University of Pamplona, the Public University of Navarre and the Carlos III Health Institute, a Spanish public health research institute, analysed international research databases that covered almost two million adults in nine countries.
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Just over half of the people covered in the study were women and the average age was 53. The countries included the UK, Spain, Sweden, Canada and South Korea.
Hospital and death
The researchers set out to understand better the links between regular physical activity and Covid-19 severity and to quantify the threshold of physical activity needed to lessen the risks of infection and associated hospital admission and death.
The analysis found those who engaged in regular physical activity every week had a 11 per cent lower risk of infection from Covid-19 and a 36 per cent lower risk from hospitalisation.
The risk of becoming severely ill was reduced by 44 per cent while the risk of death from the virus was 43 per cent lower than people who were physically inactive.
The study found that regular moderate-intensity exercise may help boost the body’s anti-inflammatory responses along with cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, which may explain the beneficial effects on Covid-19 severity. It calls for further research on the topic.
Previous research suggested that physical activity could lessen the risk of infection and the severity of respiratory infections due, at least in part, to its ability to boost the immunity system.
The researchers cautioned that the analysis included observational studies, differing study designs and subjective assessments of physical activity levels. The data also only concerned the Beta and Delta subvariants rather than Omicron, which, they said, may weaken the findings.
