Diseases & Conditions

Healthy habits might ward off long COVID

Research we're watching

By , Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
  • Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor, and
  • Hope Ricciotti, MD, Editor at Large, Harvard Women's Health Watch

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Women who practice many aspects of a healthy lifestyle are about half as likely as peers who don't to experience persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection ("long COVID"), a new study suggests.

The Harvard-led study, published online Feb. 6, 2023, by JAMA Internal Medicine, analyzed data from more than 32,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study II. They reported information about their lifestyle in 2015 and 2017 as well as their COVID-19 status from April 2020 through November 2021. More than 1,900 participants were infected with the virus during that time, and 44% of those developed long COVID, with symptoms persisting beyond four weeks after the initial infection.

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About the Author

photo of Maureen Salamon

Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch

Maureen Salamon is executive editor of Harvard Women’s Health Watch. She began her career as a newspaper reporter and later covered health and medicine for a wide variety of websites, magazines, and hospitals. Her work has … See Full Bio
View all posts by Maureen Salamon

About the Reviewers

photo of Toni Golen, MD

Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor

Dr. Toni Golen is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, practicing in Boston. Dr. Golen completed her residency training at George Washington University Medical Center in 1995, and is an associate professor at Harvard Medical … See Full Bio
View all posts by Toni Golen, MD
photo of Hope Ricciotti, MD

Hope Ricciotti, MD, Editor at Large, Harvard Women's Health Watch

Dr. Hope A. Ricciotti is Editor at Large of Harvard Women’s Health Watch. She is an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, and leads the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and … See Full Bio
View all posts by Hope Ricciotti, MD

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