Can Regular Exercise Reduce Risk of Death from Pneumonia?

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By: Hannah Joy

People who exercise regularly are at lower risk of developing and dying from pneumonia, reveals a new research.

The study, led by the University of Bristol and published in GeroScience, analysed, for the first time, ten population cohort studies with over one million participants. 'Follow a healthy lifestyle, quit smoking and drinking, exercise regularly to keep pneumonia at bay.’

The benefits of regular exercise are well-known and can reduce the risk, length or severity of infectious diseases.

Previous research has suggested that regular exercise might be associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia, but the studies have had mixed findings with some reporting evidence of a relationship and others no evidence. The researchers carried out a pooled analysis of all published studies to re-evaluate the relationship between regular exercise and the risk of developing pneumonia.

The questions the study aimed to answer included:

  • Is there an association between regular physical activity and future risk of pneumonia?

  • If there is an association, what is the strength and nature of the association?

  • If there is an association, is it stronger or weaker in specific groups of people?

The study found people who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing pneumonia and pneumonia-related death compared to those who were the least or not physically active. The relationship was shown for pneumonias that did not result in death and those that resulted in death.

The results did not change on taking into account known factors that can affect pneumonia such as age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, smoking, and pre-existing diseases. The strength of the association did not vary by age or sex.

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