While the lucky ones recover from COVID-19 and walk out of the quarantine in a few days, others fall victim to the infection’s long haul. 

Long COVID is “a constellation of other debilitating symptoms” including fatigue, muscle pain and brain fog, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. 

Long COVID may also cause diabetes and depression, months after a person recovers from SARS-CoV-2. According to a new study, having a solid exercise routine can help in treating COVID-induced inflammation that can lead to diabetes and depression.

The study was conducted by researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in the United States. 

It was published in the journal ‘Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews’.

Researchers of the study noted that an estimated range of 15% to 80% infected patients suffer from long COVID-19 induced diabetes and depression.

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“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,” said Candida Rebello, a research scientist at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. 

“Exercise can help. Exercise takes care of the inflammation that leads to elevated blood glucose and the development and progression of diabetes and clinical depression,” Rebello added.

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 “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,” Rebello said.

According to the researchers of the study, exercise can help in inducing anti-inflammatory responses in the body, increasing insulin sensitivity and supporting brain homeostasis.

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“You don’t have to run a mile or even walk a mile at a brisk pace. Walking slowly is also exercising,” Rebello said.

“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,” she added.