Anatomy-Physiotherapy-logo

  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Français (France)
  • Portuguese (PT)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • Spanish (ES)
  • English (UK)
New english website, click here ->

           

  • Articles
    Evidence based articles
    • Musculoskeletal
      • Upper extremity
      • Lower extremity
      • Spine
    • Other
      • Nervous
      • Circulatory
      • Nutrition
      • Aging
      • Pain
      • Various
  • Art & Design
    Anatomy related art
  • Videos
    Webinars & more
  • Create account
    Personal pages & favourites
  • Login
    Login to A&P
Anatomy-Physiotherapy-logo
17 Sep2018

17 September 2018.

Written by Liesbeth Raymakers
Posted in Aging

17-09-2018 08:38:30
huffington post
Image by: huffington post

The impact of exercise on immune function

Lifelong physical activity is a potent means of reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic inflammatory disorders.

Evidence also shows that a physically active lifestyle diminishes the risk of contracting a range of communicable diseases including viral and bacterial infections, implying that immune competency is enhanced by regular exercise bouts.

However, to this day, research practice, academic teaching, and even physical activity promotion and prescription continues to consider a prevailing myth that vigorous exercise can temporarily suppress immune function.

In the first part of this review, the authors (both working in the complex field of immunology) deconstruct the key pillars which lay the foundation to this theory - referred to as the “open window” hypothesis - and highlight that:

  1. Limited reliable evidence exists to support the claim that vigorous exercise heightens risk of opportunistic infections;
  2. Purported changes to mucosal immunity, namely salivary IgA levels, after exercise do not signpost a period of immune suppression; and
  3. The dramatic reductions to lymphocyte numbers and function 1–2h after exercise reflects a transient and time-dependent redistribution of immune cells to peripheral tissues, resulting in a heightened state of immune surveillance and immune regulation, as opposed to immune suppression.

In the second part of this review, they provide evidence that frequent exercise enhances—rather than suppresses—immune competency, and highlight key findings from human vaccination studies which show heightened responses to bacterial and viral antigens following bouts of exercise.

Finally, in the third part of this review, it is highlighted that regular physical activity and frequent exercise might limit or delay aging of the immune system, providing further evidence that exercise is beneficial for immunological health.

The authors conclude that leading an active lifestyle is likely to be beneficial, rather than detrimental, to immune function, which may have implications for health and disease in older age.

> From: Campbell et al., Front Immunol 9 (2018) 648. All rights reserved to The Author(s). Click here for the online summary.

dzentlmenis
Image by: dzentlmenis

Please log in or create an account to place comments. It's free and takes only a minute.

About the Author
Liesbeth Raymakers
Liesbeth Raymakers
Liesbeth Raymakers has been working as a Physiotherapist since 1998, mainly in hospital based care, ICU and intensive rehab. Originally from the Nethe...

Latest articles from this auhtor

  • Efficacy of cardiorespiratory aerobic exercise in rheumatoid arthritis: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
  • A framework for fibromyalgia management for primary care providers.
  • Effect of resistance training on physical performance and fear of falling in elderly with different levels of physical well-being
  • Age-related effects of exercise training on diastolic function in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: the Leipzig Exercise Intervention in Chronic Heart Failure and Aging (LEICA) Diastolic Dysfunction Study.
  • The importance of components of pulmonary rehabilitation, other than exercise training, in COPD
 

 

Login

  • Forgot your password?
  • Forgot your username?
  • Create an account
AP banner Sono 1

Related

Sub Menu

  • Musculoskeletal
    • Upper extremity
      • Shoulder
      • Elbow
      • Wrist
      • Hand
    • Lower extremity
      • Hip
      • Knee
      • Ankle
      • Foot
    • Spine
      • Pelvis
      • Lumbar
      • Thoracic
      • Rib cage
      • Cervical
  • Other
    • Nervous
    • Circulatory
    • Nutrition
    • Aging
    • Pain
    • Various

Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive all articles of the week in your mailbox.

 

Partners

enraf nonius

apa

fontys

vpt

kiné care

ICMSU

  • Home
  • About
  • Team
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Jobs
  • Newsletter archive
AP-SMALL-WHITECopyright 2010 - 2021 Anatomy & Physiotherapy. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy

AdBlock detected

We want to keep offering top-notch content for free. In order to keep up with the additional costs that we incurr with scaling our website, we need your help! Please turn off your adblocker or consider donating a small amount.

http://www.anatomy-physiotherapy.com/donate

Close
You can also just close this popup. It shows only once.
isApp.it
  • Articles
    Evidence based articles
    • Musculoskeletal
      • Upper extremity
        • Shoulder
        • Elbow
        • Wrist
        • Hand
      • Lower extremity
        • Hip
        • Knee
        • Ankle
        • Foot
      • Spine
        • Pelvis
        • Lumbar
        • Thoracic
        • Rib cage
        • Cervical
    • Other
      • Nervous
      • Circulatory
      • Nutrition
      • Aging
      • Pain
      • Various
  • Art & Design
    Anatomy related art
  • Videos
    Webinars & more
  • Create account
    Personal pages & favourites
  • Login
    Login to A&P
You are now being logged in using your Facebook credentials