HEALTHY LIFESTYLE MAY REDUCE RISK OF LONG COVID

Abiding by a healthy lifestyle may reduce the risks of developing long Covid.

While the long-term effects of Covid-19 are still being researched, some patients report being unable to shake off symptoms of the virus months after the initial infection.

Symptoms of long Covid appear to be varied, though fever and fatigue appeared to be among the main signs.

Now, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have reported that those who follow most aspects of a healthy lifestyle are less likely to be diagnosed with long Covid.

"In the past decades, scientists have accumulated evidence that a healthy lifestyle is good for overall health. However, in the U.S. for example, 70 per cent of the population do not have a healthy body weight and 30 per cent do not sleep enough," said lead author Siwen Wang, research fellow in the Department of Nutrition. "Findings from this study suggest that simple lifestyle changes, such as having adequate sleep, may be beneficial for the prevention of long Covid."

For the study, the team analysed data from more than 32,000 female nurses. Among the six lifestyle factors, maintaining a healthy body weight and getting adequate sleep were strongly associated with a lower risk of long Covid.

"With ongoing waves of COVID-19, long COVID has created a serious public health burden. Our findings raise the possibility that adopting more healthy behaviours may reduce the risk of developing long Covid," added senior author Andrea Roberts.

Full study results have been published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

2023-02-07T12:31:58Z dg43tfdfdgfd