The Impact Of Fitness On Flu & Covid Vaccine Efficacy

Exercise has been demonstrated to have numerous health benefits ranging from reduction of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke to overall fitness and a reduction of cancer risk. Recent infectious disease epidemics and pandemics have alerted us to both the elevated risk of poor fitness but also the preventative benefits of vaccines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of vaccines based on baseline health fitness metrics and diagnoses. Our hypothesis was that improved baseline health regarding specific modifiable diagnoses (the presence or absence of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke) would directly correlate to targeted outcome metrics (need for hospitalization, days of hospitalization, and death). To evaluate the challenge, we performed defined queries/searches on a large population medical data base (PearlDiver) asking the above question. Our sample sizes included 268 K in the diabetic and non-diabetic cohorts; 324 K in the hypertensive and nonhypertensive cohort, and 339 K in the obese and non-obese cohort. A control group was created by using non-modifiable, low systemic health risk diagnoses (myopia, meniscus tear, hearing loss). Outcome/Results revealed statistically significant lower mortality with COVID vaccine application in all morbid categories (0.000% < 0.0020%; p < .01) but not for FLU vaccine application. A surprising increased days of hospitalization was seen with both COVID and FLU vaccine application compared to no vaccine (40 days vs 22 days; p < .00001). When side-to-side comparison of patients with the modifiable, higher-risk, health diagnoses of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension was performed with the benign, non-modifiable health diagnoses of meniscus tear, myopia, and hearing loss, the outcome metrics were positively impacted by the lack of modifiable, higher-risk, health diagnoses. The impact of our findings suggests that if the modifiable, higher-risk, diagnoses can be treated or diminished with fitness interventions such as exercise converting them to benign, lower-risk diagnoses that the efficacy of vaccines could be optimized. Further research is needed.