RDNApproximately 30,000 people without cardiovascular disease had their heart health scores compared to their rates of hospitalization or death from COVID-19. An inverse relationship was found. Physical activity, BMI, blood pressure, and sleep were the components of the heart health score most strongly associated with COVID-19 severity.
Summary: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-heart-health-affected-severe-covid.html
Original paper: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.048256
Heart health affected the risk of severe COVID-19 infection during the pandemic, says study
Better heart health before the pandemic was linked to a lower risk of severe COVID-19 events, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Adults with the highest heart health scores at the beginning of the pandemic were nearly half as likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 when compared to those with the lowest scores.