Studies suggest exercise can aid immunity
Experts theorize workouts can boost germ-fighting cells in the bloodstream
You’ve probably heard the advice: One of the best things you can do to keep healthy — especially as cold and flu season creeps up — is stay physically active.
This folk wisdom has been around for ages, but until recently, researchers did not have much data to support the idea. Now, scientists studying risk factors related to COVID19 have turned up some preliminary evidence about the link between regular exercise and better immune defenses against disease.
When researchers reviewed 16 studies of people who stayed physically active during the pandemic, they found that working out was associated with a lower risk of infection as well as a lower likelihood of severe COVID-19. The analysis, published last month in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, has generated a lot of enthusiasm among exercise scientists, who say the findings could lead to updated guidelines for physical activity and health care policy that revolves around exercise as medicine.
Experts who study immunology and infectious disease are more cautious in their interpretation of the results. But they agree that exercise can help protect health through several different mechanisms.
Exercise could bolster immunity in a variety of ways.
For decades, scientists have observed that people who are fit and physically active seem to have lower rates of several respiratory tract infections. And when people who work out do get sick, they tend to have less severe disease, said David Nieman, a professor of health and exercise science at Appalachian State University, who was not involved in the recent COVID-19 review.
“The risk of severe outcomes and mortality from the common cold, influenza, pneumonia — they’re all knocked down quite a bit,” Nieman said. “I call it the ‘vaccine-like effect.’ ”
The meta-analysis, which looked at studies between November 2019 and March 2022, found that this effect extends to COVID-19. People from across the globe who worked out regularly had a 36% lower risk of hospitalization and a 43% lower risk of death from COVID19, compared with those who were not active. They also had a lower likelihood of getting COVID-19 at all.
People who followed guidelines recommending at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week seemed to get the most benefit. But even those who exercised less than that were more protected against illness than those who did not work out at all.
Researchers theorize that exercise may help fight off infectious bacteria and viruses by increasing the circulation of immune cells in your blood, for example. In some small studies, researchers have also found that the contraction and movement of muscles releases signaling proteins known as cytokines, which help direct immune cells to find and fight off infection.
Even if your levels of cytokines and immune cells taper off two or three hours after you stop exercising, Nieman said, your immune system becomes more responsive and able to catch pathogens faster over time if you work out every day. “Your immune system is primed, and it is in better fighting shape, to cope with a viral load at any given time,” he said.
In healthy humans, physical activity has also been linked to lower chronic inflammation. Widespread inflammation can be extremely damaging, even turning your own immune cells against your body. It is a known risk factor for COVID-19, Nieman said. Therefore, it makes sense that reducing inflammation could improve your chances of fighting off infection, he said.
Research also shows that exercise may amplify the benefits of some vaccines. People who worked out right after getting their COVID-19 vaccine, for example, seemed to produce more antibodies. And in studies of older adults who were vaccinated early during flu season, those who exercised had antibodies that lasted throughout the winter.
Exercise provides a slew of broader health benefits that may help reduce the incidence and severity of disease, said Dr. Stuart Ray, an infectious diseases specialist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Building a walk, jog, gym trip or sport of choice into your routine is known to help reduce obesity, diabetes and heart disease, for example, all of which are risk factors for severe influenza and COVID-19. Working out can help you get more restful sleep, boost your mood and improve your insulin metabolism and cardiovascular health, improving your chances against the flu and COVID19. It’s hard to know, Ray said, whether the benefits come from direct changes to the immune system or just overall better health.