Two and a half hours of regular moderate exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous physical exercise during this period significantly reduces the risk of Covid-19. This applies to infections as well as severe disease progression and a 43 percent lower death rate from the disease, according to a meta-study from Spain.
This filtered Spanish scientists from 16 studies involving more than 1.8 million adult participants worldwide. Yasmin Ezzatvar from the University of Valencia and her co-authors have again analyzed studies involving 1,853,610 participants with an average age of 53 years on Covid-19: from the point of view of the participants’ physical activity.
The studies came from South Korea, Great Britain, Spain, Brazil, Palestine, South Africa and Sweden. Thus, regular physical activity apparently has a clear positive effect on Covid-19, as the researchers wrote: “Our results shed light on the protective effect of adequate physical activity as a health strategy. This may help prevent severe disease progression from Covid-19.”
43 percent fewer deaths
Overall, hobby athletes showed an 11 percent reduction in the infection rate (studies evaluated from November 2019 to March 2022) by SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, among physically active people, there were 36 percent fewer hospitalizations due to Covid-19. The frequency of serious illnesses decreased by 34 percent compared to couch potatoes. There were 43 percent fewer deaths.
More sports does nothing in terms of Covid-19
The scientists also made a distinction based on the intensity of the sport practiced. The greatest effect was therefore achieved in the activities recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO): 150 minutes of moderate physical activity through sport or 75 minutes of intensive physical activity per week. More didn’t make sense in terms of Covid-19.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
