According to a new study, wearing a face mask during intense exercise is safe for healthy people and may reduce the risk of Covid-19 release at indoor gyms.
The results of the study were published in the European Respiratory Journal. For the study, 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, the researchers noted that none of their results showed any risk to health.
These findings suggested that masks could be worn safely during intense exercise, for example, to reduce Covid-19 transmission 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 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 ‘face filtration 2’ mask or FFP2 mask (white mask, single use believe that offers slightly better protection than a surgical mask).
While the volunteers used an exercise bike, the researchers measured their breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels in their blood.
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 do aerobic exercise (according to their ‘VO2 peak’ which is a measure of their maximum oxygen intake).
The results also showed that this reduction may have been caused by the fact that the volunteers found it a little more difficult to breathe in and out through the masks.
Dr Mapelli said, “This reduction is relatively small and, crucially, does not suggest a risk to healthy people from exercising in a face mask, even when working to the maximum. As we wait for more people to be vaccinated against Covid -19, this finding could have practical effects in everyday life, for example potentially opening gyms safer inside.
“However, we should not assume that the same is true for people with heart or lung disease. We need to do more research to investigate this issue,” Dr. Mapelli said.
The team is now studying the effects of wearing a face mask while performing daily activities, such as climbing stairs or doing work-outs. household, in healthy people and those with heart or lung disease.
Dr Agostoni said, “Covid-19 has hit the area and our hospital so hard, with devastating effects on a personal, professional and organizational level. Nevertheless, this was one of many studies that it was done with the commitment of our young researchers. “
Professor Agostoni also said, “We are particularly proud of this work as it began in a fun way during our free time in the other tragic period of the common pandemic and our findings show the importance of clinical examination, even in times of crisis. “
Professor Sam Bayat from Grenoble University Hospital, France, is Chair of the European Society of Respiratory Psychology, Exercise and 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 we can limit the release of Covid-19, but we believe that face masks play a role and we are becoming accustomed to wearing face masks. public places such as shops, trains, and buses. “
Dr Bayat concluded, “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 sport. activity and fitness activity, with a tolerable impact on performance. ”
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This story was published from a wire group group with no text changes. Only the headline has changed.