A new study has found that people at high risk of dying from the flu may benefit from increasing their levels of cardio exercise.
Exercising even below recommended standards can help reduce a person’s risk of dying from the flu or pneumonia, the scientists said.
And a new study published in the British Journal found of Sports medicine claims that doing muscle-strengthening exercises at least twice a week can prevent death from the flu or pneumonia.
But doing muscle strengthening exercises seven times a week or more was associated with a higher risk.
Scientists led by experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided to study the relationship between “physical activity in your spare time” and mortality from influenza and pneumonia.
They examined records of more than half a million adults in the United States who provided information on their physical activity levels between 1998 and 2018.
During the follow-up period, which averaged nine years, about 1,516 people died as a result of influenza or pneumonia.
And people who followed the recommendations for regular exercise — 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise and two servings a week of muscle-strengthening exercise — were 48 percent less likely to die from the flu or pneumonia than those who didn’t exercise as much.
But even those who did 10 to 149 minutes of cardio per week had a 21% lower risk than those who didn’t exercise at all.
Focusing on muscle-strengthening exercises, including weight lifting and resistance band work, the researchers found that those who did these exercises twice a week had a 47% lower risk of contracting the flu and pneumonia than those who did less. twice a week. strength training per week.
But they also found that those who did strength training seven times a week or more actually had a 41% risk.
“Aerobic physical activity, even at amounts below recommended levels, may be associated with a reduction in mortality from influenza and pneumonia,” the researchers write. “Twice-weekly strength exercise has been associated with a reduced risk of influenza and pneumonia.” while seven or more attacks per week were associated with a reduced risk of influenza and pneumonia.”
Source: Independent
