Relationship between lifestyle: physical activity, diet, smoking, and the duration of symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection

In this study, patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2/coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-2019) had their diets, levels of physical activity, and smoking habits evaluated, along with the effects of these parameters on disease symptom duration. The study followed a cross-sectional design. Data were collected from a group of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients who were tested at the Regional Science and Technology Center from January to December 2021. The survey research included a cohort of 3,155 SARS-CoV-2 patients. Nasopharyngeal swab samples were tested using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), confirming infection by detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The data did not identify any potentially harmful effects of cigarette smoking on the duration of COVID-19 symptoms. It was confirmed that a high-calorie diet was associated with a reduction or absence of disease symptoms. The results confirmed that physical activity positively affected the duration of COVID-19 symptoms by shortening it (p ≤ 0.05). The data demonstrated a relationship between cigarette smoking, diet, physical activity, and the severity of symptoms during COVID-19 infection.