LSU study finds football players recover quickly from COVID

A  study conducted in collaboration with LSU’s kinesiology and athletics departments, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Our Lady of the Lake researched how the immune system of elite student-athletes responded to the COVID-19 virus, according to an LSU announcement.

According to the researchers, the immune systems of football players who were diagnosed with COVID-19 were back to baseline after the CDC-recommended isolation. This is in stark contrast with older adults with comorbidities, who tend to be more at risk for serious side effects and symptoms, and even death.

“When the idea started for the research, we discussed why not turn something negative into a positive, and assist with the research to find some answers. If we can do things to understand the virus better, let’s do it,” says Jack Marucci, LSU’s director of athletic training, in a prepared statement. “The student-athletes were willing to be a part of it.”

At the start of the pandemic, the CDC recommended 14 days of isolation, so that was the timeframe used for the study.

The findings suggested student-athletes could safely return to practice and play football without a risk of secondary infection; that their immune system wasn’t at risk when playing the close contact sport.

“I was worried a bit about long-haulers and other more significant outcomes like the concerns for the development of myocarditis,” says Shelly Mullenix, LSU’s senior associate athletic director for health and wellness. “Engaging in athletic activities at an elite level can be stressful on the body and you would want to arm yourselves with the best scientific information to help understand potential outcomes.” Read more about the findings from LSU. 

This story originally appeared in a Sept. 9 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.