Making COVID-19 less severe and vaccines more effective
The pandemic situation in India is grim. Of course we need to focus on emergency treatment and requirements for the same, but we should also not ignore trying to make the vaccines more effective and reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.
For the longest time we folks in the space of Sports-Exercise Medicine and Science have researched the role of physical activities, exercises and sports in Non-Communicable Diseases (Lifestyle Diseases) like Heart Diseases, Respiratory Diseases, Diabetes, most Cancers, Chronic Kidney Diseases, Osteoarthritis etc. Most of us assumed that physical fitness wouldn’t have a role to play in Communicable (Infectious) Diseases, hence we’ve ignored it all along. And then came Covid-19. Leave alone medical fraternity, the whole of humanity has been making an all out effort to defeat it.
Role of physical activities - exercises - sports in Covid
Pic credit Viktor Forgacs @sonance on UnSplash
Lot of high quality research is coming out in our field and what is suggested below is just not based on gut feel. It’s backed by science.
A study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, US (1) involved 48,440 adult patients with a COVID-19 diagnosis (i.e. Covid-19 test positive and symptoms) from 1 January 2020 to 21 October 2020. Researchers looked at how physically active had these patients been for two years, from 19 March 2018 to 18 March 2020. Brisk walk like activity was ample to meet their criteria. They had three categories:
consistently inactive (0–10 min/week)
some activity (11–149 min/week)
consistently active (150+ min/week): 30 minutes of physical activities 5 days a week, these are US Physical Activity Guidelines (2) recommendations that everyone should be exercising for
Pic credit: Vaibhav Salvi @vaibhavsalvi on UnSplash
Those who had been consistently inactive, i.e. those who didn’t even clock 10 min of physical activity or exercise in a week, had a 2.26 times greater risk of hospitalisation, 1.73 times greater risk of ICU admission and 2.49 greater risk of death due to COVID-19 than those who were active for 150 minutes in a week.
“In the first week of May 2021, an average of 4,000 deaths have been reported per day day. If those people had been active, we could have possibly had 2,400 fewer deaths. To make sense of this, close your eyes and imagine the person who means the most to you. We could have saved that person’s life today. Let’s do our bit to spread this because it could be anyone tomorrow.”
No, this isn’t fool proof, just that it improves your chances even more. It’s like studying hard in school and college improves your chances of doing well in life. But then there is no guarantee.
“The important takeaway being, you didn’t have to be pumping iron in the gym for hours together, or running so fast / long that you collapse or playing any other sport at the most elite level.”
Most who want to become physically active, stop even before they get started because they assume that they will never become as fit as their ‘role models’. But there is no need to be like them. Just get started. In any case, most of our role models (actors, players etc.) have gone missing when even a short message could have come in handy.
Another study (3, 4) published on 20th April 2021 in Sports Medicine looked at 16,833 scientific studies done from January 1980 until 14 April 2020 and shortlisted only 54 of them that met their stringent high quality criteria. It found that regular physical activity, besides strengthening the human immune system, reduces the risk of falling ill and dying from infectious disease by more than a third, it also significantly increases the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns.
“Regular physical activity strengthens the human immune system, reduces the risk of falling ill and dying from infectious disease by more than a third.”
Pic credit: Daniel Joshua @daniel_joshua_ by @UnSpash
“Regular physical activity resulted in elevated levels of the antibody immunoglobulin IgA. This antibody coats the mucosal membrane of our lungs and other parts of our body where viruses and bacteria can enter. It also increases the number of CD4+ T cells, which are responsible for alerting the immune system of an attack and regulate its response.”
Professor Sebastien Chastin (Pic credit: Glasgow Caledonian University website www.gcu.ac.uk)
This study didn’t look at COVID-19 as it was conducted too early in the pandemic, but the findings are highly relevant to the current scenario.
“Vaccines appear more effective if they are administered after a programme of physical activity. A person who is active is 50% more likely to have a higher antibody count after the vaccine than somebody who is not active.”
“Since the first study looked at physical activity from March ‘18 to March ‘20, before COVID really hit, you would argue, ‘but you can’t go back in time’. True, you can’t. But what if your vaccination becomes more effective based on what you do now and you are better prepared to take on Covid?”
We don’t have concrete evidence yet to back up this thought specifically when it comes to COVID, but if there is a chance that being physically active could improve your chances to fight COVID, we all need to get moving today. Even while we wait to be vaccinated, let’s be more physically active and exercise regularly.
We need to be optimistic and keep at it. Together, we are going to overcome this. Pic credit: Raju G P K @rajugpk by UnSplash
“I would rather be WRONG but OVER-CAUTIOUS than RIGHT but IRRESPONSIBLE. Cost of our bravado could be death of our loved ones. We’ll have enough time to argue later, that is, if we survive.”
Now that has been my stand throughout. I simply don’t have the patience to debate about this approach with anyone. Trolls, please have a field day. We want to keep everyone engaged in these tough times as this disease is having a far bigger psychological impact than physical alone.
Illustration credit: Amit Kumar
“If there is evidence to back up what i have stated above, why is no one making enough noise about it? Because people can’t see the money. Supposedly there is nothing to be sold.”
Me, Run & Bee gang and La Ultra Team team have been putting daily exercise session. You can join on YouTubeLive http://www.youtube.com/c/RajatChauhanRun/live or watch videos later http://www.youtube.com/c/RajatChauhanRun
References:
Sallis R, et al. Physical inactivity is associated with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes: a study in 48 440 adult patients. Br J Sports Med 2021;0:1–8. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2021-104080
Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. The physical activity guidelines for Americans. JAMA 2018;320:2020–8.
Chastin S. F. M. et al. Effects of Regular Physical Activity on the Immune System, Vaccination and Risk of Community‐Acquired Infectious Disease in the General Population: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis. Sports Medicine 2021; doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01466-1
Chastin S. F. M. Exercise makes you 50% more likely to have higher antibodies after a vaccine. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/exercise-boosts-immunity-vaccines-effective-study-glasgow-covid-coronavirus. World Economic Forum. Article in collaboration with The Conversation. 26 April 2021.
