Following a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of long-term covid disease, said A The study was published on Monday In the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health analyzed data from 1,981 female nurses who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between April 2020 and November 2021. They then looked at six healthy lifestyle factors, including a healthy body mass index (BMI). ); never smoke High-quality nutrition; Moderate alcohol consumption; They define regular exercise as at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. And enough sleep, which they describe as sleeping seven to nine hours a day.
The study found that participants who met five or six of these “modifiable risk factors” before contracting Covid-19 were 49 percent less likely to experience prolonged Covid compared to those who did not have any. Of the six lifestyle factors, healthy body weight and adequate sleep were associated with the lowest long-term risk of Covid.
For participants who developed long-term covid, they have people who had a healthy lifestyle before getting covid-19 30% lower risk Developing prolonged covid symptoms that interfere with daily life.
“Previous studies have shown that a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as early death.” Our findings suggest that a healthy lifestyle can protect against chronic diseases,” Siwen Wang, the study’s authors, wrote in an email to Yahoo News. Although 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 exercising regularly. Incorporating a little more physical activity into your routine can reduce your risk of long-term covid-19.
One explanation offered by researchers is that these healthy lifestyles may help prevent long-term symptoms of Covid-19, such as “post-viral fatigue syndrome,” and inflammation, including organ damage. Brain, lungs and kidneys.
Researchers noted some limitations of the study. The participants were 97% white and all were middle-aged female nurses between the ages of 55 and 75 – which makes it difficult to apply these results to the general population. And cases of covid-19 infection and long-term covid were self-reported, meaning “misclassification occurred” and some asymptomatic cases may have been missed.
Some have He expressed surprise Considering the findings of the study, apparently healthy individuals have a long course of covid.
“We don’t want to confuse low risk with no risk,” Wang said in response. “There are many factors that can affect the long-term risk of Covid. For example, in our previous research we identified stress, loneliness and depression as long-term risk factors for Covid.
Prolonged covid, or “post-covid-19 status,” can be difficult to detect, and there is currently no test to diagnose it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAbout 7.5% of adults in the US have prolonged Covid symptoms, “defined as symptoms that last three or more months after first exposure to the virus,” and women are more likely than men to have prolonged Covid symptoms. The long list of possible covid symptoms is extensive, but those A very common report “Brain fog”, fatigue, respiratory and heart problems, and joint or muscle pain.