Wearing a protective face mask has little effect on healthy people’s ability to exercise vigorously, according to a study published today (Monday) in the European Journal of Breath [1].
Researchers performed detailed tests on breathing, heart activity, and exercise performance in a group of 12 people while using an exercise bike with and without a mask.
Although they found differences in some measurements between wearing a mask and not wearing a mask, they say none of their results pose any risk to health. This suggests that masks may be worn safely during intense exercise, for example to reduce the release of COVID-19 between people visiting an indoor gym.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers including Dr. Elisabetta Salvioni from Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy, and Dr. Massimo Mapelli and Professor Piergiuseppe Agostoni from Centro Cardiologico Monzino and University of Milan.
Dr Salvioni said: “We know that the main route of transmission for coronavirus is by respiratory droplets and it is possible that harder breathing during exercise may help with transmission, especially indoors. Research shows that Wearing a mask may help prevent the spread of the disease, but there is no clear evidence that masks are safe to wear during strenuous exercise. “
To address this question, researchers worked with a group of healthy volunteers made up of six women and six men with an average age of 40. Each participated in three rounds of exercise experiments: once while not wearing a face mask, they wore a surgical mask (blue mask, single-use) and once with a ‘piece 2 seed filter’ or FFP2 mask (white mask, believed to be single-use) which offers slightly better protection than a surgical mask).
While the volunteers used an exercise bike, the researchers measured their breath, heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen levels.
The results of the tests showed that the face mask had little effect on the volunteers. For example, there was an average reduction of about ten percent in their ability to perform aerobic exercise (according to their ‘VO2 peak’ which is a measure of the highest level of oxygen uptake).
The results also indicate that this reduction may have been caused by the volunteers finding it slightly more difficult to breathe in and out through the masks.
Dr Mapelli said: “This reduction is small and, crucially, does not suggest a risk to healthy people exercising in a face mask, even when working to the maximum. While we wait for more people to be vaccinated against COIVD -19, this finding could have a major impact on daily life, for example the opening of gyms may be safer. -in.
“However, we should not assume that the same is true for people with heart or lung disease. We need to do more research to examine this issue.”
The team is now studying the effects of wearing a face mask while performing daily activities, such as climbing stairs or doing housework, in healthy people. and those with heart or lung diseases.
Dr Agostoni said: “COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our area and our hospital, with devastating effects on a personal, professional and organizational level. Nevertheless, this was one of many studies made with commitment from our young researchers.
“We are particularly proud of this work as it began sportingly during our free time in the tragic period of the pandemic and our findings demonstrate the importance of clinical research, even at emergency. “
Professor Sam Bayat from Grenoble University Hospital, France, is Chair of the European Respiratory Psychology, Exercise and Functional Imaging Group of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and was not involved in the research. He said: “There are still gaps in our knowledge of how you can limit the release of COVID-19, but we believe that face masks play a role and we are becoming accustomed to wearing a face mask. public places such as shops, trains and buses.
“While these results are preliminary and need to be confirmed by larger groups of people, they seem to suggest that face masks can also be safely worn for indoor sports and fitness activity, with a tolerable effect on achievement. ”
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