COVID-19 infection often causes symptoms such as fever, cough and muscle soreness, which usually disappear with the end of the infection. However, there are also a small number of cured people will show mild or severe sequelae, common brain fog, fatigue, smell and taste failure and other problems. However, novel coronavirus patients also face the risk of "long COVID-19" (Long COVID). According to the definition of the World Health Organization, COVID-19 refers to diseases that usually have symptoms three months after the initial attack of COVID-19 and lasts for more than two months and cannot be explained by other diagnoses. The common problems include brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, chest tightness and chest pain. Although there have been concerns and discussions since the start of the pandemic, there is still no clear strategy for how to prevent or avoid the outbreak. On February 6,2023, researchers at Harvard University's Tsang-hee Chen School of Public Health published a research paper entitled: Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle Prior to Infection and Risk of Post COVID-19 Condition in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal. This study shows that women who follow most aspects of a healthy lifestyle have about half the risk of developing long COVID-19 compared with those who do not have any healthy lifestyle. That is, a healthy lifestyle is associated with reducing the risk of a long coronavirus, and simple lifestyle changes, such as adequate sleep, can prevent it.
The corresponding author, Andrea L. Roberts Said that with the ongoing wave of COVID-19, Long COVID poses a serious public health burden. The findings raise the possibility that adopting a healthier lifestyle may reduce the risk of developing Long COVID.
Data from more than 32,000 female nurses were analyzed for their lifestyle and their history of SARS-CoV-2 infection from April 2020 to November 2021. During this time period, 1,981 participants were infected with COVID-19. Of these, 871 (44%) developed a Long COVID.
The healthy lifestyle recorded in the study included the following six points:
1. Healthy body weight (BMI=18.5-24.9)
2. Do not smoke
3. Regular exercise (at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week)
4. Sufficient sleep (sleep 7-9 hours a day)
5. High-quality diet
6. Drink alcohol in moderation
The statistical results found that the risk of developing Long COVID decreased with increasing healthy lifestyle factors. Women with these five or six healthy lifestyle factors had a 49% lower risk of Long COVID compared to women without any healthy lifestyle factors.
Of the six lifestyle factors, maintaining a healthy weight and adequate sleep were most associated with reduced Long COVID risk.
The findings also suggest that even among women with Long COVID, participants with a healthier pre-infection lifestyle had a 30% lower risk of symptoms interfering with daily life.
The authors note that a possible explanation for their observation is that, according to previous studies, an unhealthy lifestyle is associated with an increased risk of chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, which in turn is associated with an increased risk of long COVID-19.
Over the past few decades, scientists have accumulated evidence that a healthy lifestyle is good for overall health, says lead author Siwen Wang. However, in the USA, for example, 70% of the population is weight-unhealthy and 30% are sleep deprived. The results of this study suggest that simple lifestyle modifications, for example adequate sleep, may be beneficial in preventing Long COVID.
