A healthy lifestyle helps prevent disease and increases life expectancy, but it also influences how the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection affects us, as new research, led by researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, has found that women who eat quality food, exercise regularly, sleep well, maintain an adequate weight, do not smoke, and consume alcohol in moderation have almost half the risk of persistent COVID compared to those without any healthy lifestyle habits.
It is estimated that around 17 million people residing in the 53 countries of the European region of the World Health Organization (WHO) have been affected by persistent COVID, characterized by symptoms such as tiredness, muscle aches, difficulty breathing or cognitive disturbances, among others, four weeks or more after the initial infection.
“With the continuing waves of COVID-19, the long duration of the disease has created a serious burden on public health. Our findings raise the possibility that adopting healthier behaviors may reduce the risk of developing prolonged COVID,” said Andrea Roberts, a scientist at the Department of Environmental Health and lead author of the paper, which was just published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Avoiding being overweight and sleeping well prevents prolonged COVID
The authors of the research analyzed data from more than 32,000 nurses who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study II and provided information on their lifestyle in 2015 and 2017, as well as cases of coronavirus infection from April 2020 to November. of 2021.
“The findings of this study suggest that simple lifestyle changes, such as getting enough sleep, may be beneficial for the prevention of prolonged COVID”
During the study period, more than 1,900 participants contracted COVID-19, and of these, 44% developed persistent COVID-19. Compared to women without any healthy lifestyle factors, those with five or six had a 49% lower risk of long-term COVID. Among the six lifestyle aspects most linked to a lower risk of persistent COVID, those in which the greatest relationship was found were: maintaining a healthy body weight and getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours a day).
The researchers also found that even among women with long-term COVID-19, those who had healthier lifestyles before becoming infected had a 30% lower risk of having symptoms that interfered with their daily lives. To explain the associations they found, these scientists point out that previous studies have shown an unhealthy lifestyle to be associated with increased risk of chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, which have been linked to increased risk of long-term COVID.
“In recent decades, scientists have accumulated evidence that a healthy lifestyle is good for overall health. However, in the United States, for example, 70% of the population does not have a healthy body weight and 30% does not get enough sleep. The findings of this study suggest that simple lifestyle changes, such as getting enough sleep, may be beneficial for the prevention of prolonged COVID,” said lead author Siwen Wang, a researcher in the Department of Nutrition.
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