Healthy lifestyle habits can halve long-term risk of COVID, according to a Harvard University study
Following a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of developing prolonged COVID, according to a study published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health analyzed data from 1,981 nurses who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between April 2020 and November 2021. They then analyzed six healthy lifestyle factors, including a body mass index ( healthy BMI, never smoking, high-quality diet, moderate alcohol consumption, regular exercise (defined as a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week), and adequate sleep (defined as seven to nine hours of sleep per night ).
The study found that participants who found five or six of these “modifiable risk factors” before contracting COVID-19 were 49% less likely to develop prolonged COVID than those who found none. Of the six lifestyle factors, a healthy body weight and getting enough sleep were most strongly associated with a lower long-term risk of COVID. The results were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
For participants who developed long-term COVID, those who had healthier lifestyles before being tested for COVID-19 had a 30% lower risk of developing daily, life-interfering symptoms of long-term COVID.
Previous studies have suggested that a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as premature death. This study indicates that a healthy lifestyle can also protect against infectious diseases. According to the authors, “While some lifestyle factors may be difficult to change, such as obesity, others may be easier to change, such as getting enough sleep most days or incorporating a little more physical activity into your daily routine. “.
One possible explanation offered by the researchers was that these factors associated with a healthy lifestyle help protect against inflammation, which is responsible for long-term COVID illnesses such as “post-viral fatigue syndrome”, as well as damage to organs such as brain, lungs and kidneys. .
In the study, 97% of the participants were middle-aged white nurses, aged between 55 and 75 years, which makes applying these results to the general population difficult, but it is a group consistent with the general population. more vulnerable to long-term COVID.
Some people expressed surprise at the study results, given that apparently healthy people also developed long-standing COVID. However, keep in mind that a reduced risk means there is less chance of having these symptoms, it doesn’t mean the chances are zero. For example, previous studies have shown that stress, loneliness and depression are also factors that increase the long-term risk of COVID.
The long-term COVID, also called long greed o “post-COVID-19 status”, can be difficult to identify and there is currently no test to diagnose it. Symptoms can occur three or more months after first contracting the virus, and women are more likely than men to experience it. The list of possible long-term symptoms of COVID is long, but the most common are “brain fog”, fatigue, breathing and heart problems, and joint or muscle pain.
REFERENCE
Adherence to healthy lifestyle before infection and risk of post-COVID-19 condition
