It's safe to hit the gym with N95, cloth masks: finds study

New York: Wearing masks, both N95 and cloth mask, while exercising is safe and effective, suggests a new US study.

While there was discomfort exercising with a mask, it did not raise any health issues, revealed the study published online in JAMA Network Open.

A team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, US, tested whether mask wearing during exercise stress testing (EST) to peak exhaustion provokes clinically indicated safety concerns.

The trial included 20 never-smoker, apparently healthy, recreationally active men (11) and women (9) in treadmill EST under each of the experimental conditions: no mask, N95 (3M, 8200, N95 respirator), and cloth mask (Boco Gear PM2.5 activated carbon filter).

"This crossover trial found that perceived breathing resistance at peak exercise is uniquely and significantly elevated when EST is performed while wearing a mask," Matthew Kampert, from the Center of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, at Cleveland Clinic.

"Performing EST with a mask yielded lower peak VIO2 and heart rates as compared with no mask. However, each experimental condition resulted in peak exercise values that generally remained within normal limits, and no EST required termination due to clinically indicated safety concerns.", he added.

However, as the study did not include people with chronic disease or heart or lung problems, the researchers recommended that people with underlying health conditions talk to their doctor about exercising with or without a mask.