How COVID-19 Highlights the Importance of Overall Health

There seems to be very little rhyme or reason to the COVID-19 virus. It does not discriminate between young and old or where you reside. Everybody is at risk for the illness.

But some people have a greater risk for a serious case than others. Although there is plenty of evidence that young people can get the virus, numbers suggest the most vulnerable among us have the highest risk.

There is research to suggest that health conditions like heart problems and diabetes can make COVID-19 much more dangerous.

One study out of China, for example, found that nearly 73% of those killed by the virus averaged at about 66 years of age and had an existing noncommunicable chronic disease. Some associated conditions were high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and diabetes.

Of course, there is no surefire way to prevent infection or limit its effect. These numbers suggest that a person’s existing health condition could play a major role in the severity of the virus.

This highlights the importance of practicing a preventative lifestyle. The truth is that we never know when a health pandemic can hit, and being as healthy as possible when it does may be a matter of life and death, regardless of age.

And it’s not just new global pandemics that prey on the weak. Every year, tens of thousands of people die from the flu in America, and outside of young children, it is the same cohort that is taking the biggest hit from COVID-19.

So, what can you do?

Because COVID-19 has hit home for many people, it may serve as some motivation to take a little more care. Practicing a healthy lifestyle that promotes lower blood pressure, reductions in cholesterol, and improved heart health is a place to start.

Working to manage blood sugar and potentially reverse diabetes, or prevent it, is another area of focus.

Losing weight to take the stress off of your body can also help to optimize your immune system and promote anti-aging aging and longevity.

Sometimes it’s hard to recognize how the daily decisions we make throughout a life make a real difference. But the current pandemic is, in a way, showing that they can.

Although there is no guarantee that lifestyle can protect you from anything, it can provide a lower risk and out your body in a better place to handle what the world throws at it. After all, a healthy lifestyle is associated with a reduced risk of a number of chronic conditions.