It is a confirmation of the benefits of physical activity for health that comes from the pages of British Journal of Sports Medicine, yet another. But it concerns the relationship between sport and Covid-19, and it sounds a bit like a ransom thinking back to the measures taken at the beginning of the pandemic, when outdoor sports were also banned, even individual ones, prompting a boom in home physical activities. Because exercising helps reduce the risk of infection, reduces the severity of the disease and is also associated with a lower risk of death, says the team of Spanish researchers who signed the paper.
That physical activity could also benefit against Covid was more than hypothesized, considering the ability of physical exercise to improve the immune system and reduce the risk factors that can worsen the disease (such as obesity and diabetes), the authors recall. And there was some evidence in the field. The Spanish team tried to put together the results of several studies to weigh this evidence, and understand what effect playing sports regularly could have on the risk of getting sick with Covid-19 and having complications. To do this, the researchers collected data from 16 studies, covering a population of around 1.8 million people, from South Korea to Brazil.
The greatest benefits with 150 min per week
And the results confirmed that yes, physical activity protects against Covid, both in terms of infection (11% lower risk compared to people who do not exercise regularly), and hospitalization (less 36%), serious illness. (minus 44%) and death (minus 43%). The greatest benefits were obtained for those who carried out moderate physical activity quantifiable in about 150 minutes a week or 75 minutes of intense physical activity. That is the same minimum amount of physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization for the adult population (the average age of the people included in the meta-analysis was 53 years).
The result is in line with what has been observed by other research groups on physical activity and Covid-19, but also more generally on physical activity and infections. And it would be explained, the authors write, by calling into question the immunological benefits and the protection from diseases such as diabetes and obesity given by physical activity, as well as by muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness, able overall to reduce the risk of infection, the severity of symptoms and hospitalizations, and to shorten recovery times in case of illness.