“Long COVID” is commonly used to describe signs and symptoms that last for a few weeks or months after recovering from COVID-19 infection.
There are currently no medically recognized treatments for Long COVID; however, exercise could help treat the symptoms of long COVID, according to a new paper.
The paper, published in the journal Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, suggests that exercise may break the vicious cycle of inflammation that can lead to developing depression and diabetes months after you recover from the virus, according to Science Daily.
Research scientist Dr. Candida Rebello of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana, said, “We know that Long COVID causes depression, and we know that it can increase blood glucose levels to the point where people develop diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition common among people with type 1 diabetes.”
“Exercise can help,” she added, “Exercise takes care of the inflammation that leads to elevated blood glucose and the development and progression of diabetes and clinical depression.”
Although it is unclear how many people suffer from Long COVID, it is estimated in around 15% to 80% of the people infected by COVID-19.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes Long COVID as “a constellation of other debilitating symptoms” including brain fog, muscle pain, and fatigue that can last for months after a person recovers from the initial infection.
Dr. Rebello explained, “For example, a person may not get very sick from COVID-19, but six months later, long after the cough or fever is gone, they develop diabetes,” adding that one solution is exercise.
She said, “You don’t have to run a mile or even walk a mile at a brisk pace. Walking slowly is also exercising. Ideally, you would do a 30-minute session of exercise. But if you can only do 15 minutes at a time, try to do two 15-minute sessions. If you can only walk 15 minutes once a day, do that.”
“The important thing is to try. It doesn’t matter where you begin,” she added. “You can gradually build up to the recommended level of exercise.”
Co-author Dr. John Kirwan said, “We know that physical activity is a key component to a healthy life. This research shows that exercise can be used to break the chain reaction of inflammation that leads to high blood sugar levels, and then to the development or progression of type 2 diabetes.”
