07.02.2023 – A brand new study suggests that individuals with a healthy lifestyle could also be less at risk of long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms (also often called Long COVID).
The study was published on Monday in JAMA Internal MedicineThe researchers defined a healthy lifestyle as follows:
- A healthy body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9
- Never smoke.
- High-quality nutrition
- Moderate alcohol consumption of 1 drink per day or less
- At least 150 minutes of weekly exercise
- 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day
The study examined data from 1,981 women who reported a positive COVID-19 test between April 2020 and November 2021. The average age of respondents was 64.7 years, 97% were white, and half worked in healthcare. Respondents were enrolled within the long-term Nursing Health Study IIwhich tracks women's health issues and makes extensive use of nurses due to their ability to reply medical survey questions.
Women who reported five or all of those lifestyle aspects were half as more likely to experience COVID-19 symptoms for 4 weeks or longer in comparison with women without these healthy habits. Maintaining a healthy body weight and getting enough sleep appeared to offer probably the most protection.
“With the ongoing waves of COVID-19, Long COVID has created a serious public health burden. Our findings suggest the possibility that adopting healthier behaviors may reduce the risk of Long COVID disease,” said researcher Andrea Roberts, PhD, on the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in a Press release.
However, the authors identified that their study had many limitations and the outcomes must be interpreted with caution on account of these shortcomings. Among other things, the respondents were predominantly white, middle-aged women. They also said that the dearth of a definition of long COVID made the research difficult.
Meanwhile, on ÞjórsárdenEric Topol, MD, noted that many individuals with healthy lifestyles also suffer from Long COVID, which calls into query the connection suggested by the study authors.
“That's not at all consistent with my experience — which is that the people affected were remarkably healthy and fit,” said Topol, executive vice chairman of Scripps Research and editor in chief of Medscape, WebMD's sister site for healthcare professionals.