Mask does not affect breathing or cardiac response during exercise, study says

With the advance of vaccination, the return to physical activities in closed environments such as gyms gained new impetus. However, epidemiologists emphasize that the use of masks is still essential to prevent the transmission of respiratory diseases such as Covid-19 and the common flu.

A study carried out by researchers at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (USP) pointed out that the use of the facial protection measure is safe during physical exercise at different intensities and does not significantly affect breathing and activity patterns. cardiovascular.

Results were published in preprint format, without peer review.

For the analysis, 17 healthy men and 18 healthy women performed cardiopulmonary tests on a treadmill. Participants performed two running sessions, one with a three-layer fabric mask and the other without the equipment. Experts assessed the body’s responses through the exchange of expired and inspired gases during exercise at different effort intensities.

“The study shows that the myths that wearing a mask during physical exercise would be harmful, affecting, for example, the subject’s oxygen saturation, do not hold up. The use of protection did not significantly change the body’s functioning during the practice of moderate to heavy exercise”, said Bruno Gualano, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at USP, in a statement.

In the tests, different characteristics of the organism in the face of physical effort were evaluated, such as oxygen consumption and saturation, respiratory capacity, cardiovascular function and the levels of acid present in the blood (acidosis).

“The conclusion was that the disturbances caused by the mask were very small, especially at intensities below maximum effort, which are capable of bringing enormous health benefits,” said Gualano.

In high-intensity activities, small respiratory changes were noticed. However, according to the researcher, the organism is prepared to deal with changes due to compensatory physiological responses.

“Oxygen saturation, heart rate, perceived exertion, lactate levels (an indicative measure of acid-base balance in the body), blood pressure, all of this is within expectations, even with the use of a mask and in intensities critics,” he said.

(With information from FAPESP Agency)