Exercise And Immunity

Exercise and Immunity

“Hormesis encompasses the notion that low levels of stress stimulate or upregulate existing cellular and molecular pathways that improve the capacity of cells and organisms to withstand greater stress. “

The difference between exercise and injury is one is controlled trauma to the tissue.

Exercise has long been known to help develop a strong immune system and help fight off illness and diseases in multiple ways; a few of these benefits and examples are mobilizing the lymphatic system to mediate and influence anti-inflammation, reduced heart diseases and improve immune function biomarkers.

By doing moderate to vigorous exercise routinely, a person may experience lots of benefits; as shown in one study that followed 1,000 adults during flu season, and of those 1,000 participants, those who walked 30-45minutes a day saw 43% fewer sick days over those who were sedentary.

This isn’t to say that a person should have prolonged heavy exertion as that will see a transient immune dysfunction. The potential linkage between prolonged, intensive exercise and increased risk for illness has been an active area of research since the 1980s
“Forty percent of the runners reported at least 1 illness episode during the 2-month winter period before the marathon race,”
“ These seminal studies indicated that illness risk may be increased when an athlete participates in competitive events, goes through repeated cycles of unusually heavy exertion, or experiences other stressors to the immune system including lack of sleep and mental stress.”

Exercise smartly and in regulation. No exercise and or too much exercise will be detrimental.
 

Reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30102685/
https://arthritis-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13075-018-1624-x
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254618301005