What if a slow walking pace could significantly increase risks of severe Covid? This is what British scientists state in a study released this past February 26 in the International Journal of Obesity, stating that this risk could be multiplied by two in the event of a slow walking pace, and people have 3.7 times more risk of dying of coronavirus.
What did the study consist in? Searchers from the team led by Leicester University professor Thomas Yates have analyzed 412,000 British, irrespective of BMI and their self-reported – slow or brisk – walking pace, in order to find out if there was a link between severe virus and the body mass index. The latter noticed that in these 412,000 patients, 1,001 severe cases have been reported, as well as 336 deaths, mainly in slow walkers, whether they were in good physical condition or not.
“We know already that obesity and frailty are key risk factors for Covid-19 outcomes” Pr. Yates reported, explaining that “both obesity and self-reported walking pace are independently associated with the population level risk of severe COVID-19 and COVID-19 mortality”.
Why are brisk walkers less impacted? Once again, Pr. Yates has the answer: “Fast walkers have been shown to generally have good cardiovascular and heart health, making them more resilient to external stressors, including viral infection but this hypothesis has not yet been established for infectious disease”. He concludes by saying this study is “the first study to show that slow walkers have a much higher risk of contracting severe COVID-19 outcomes, irrespective of their weight”.
