Exercise boosts your immunity. It’s one of the most touted reasons for getting a good sweat on and in this season where the H1N1 virus has become more popular among school kids than Miley Cyrus, this factoid is getting more play than Jude Law. But is it true? Does exercise really boost your immune system? Two new studies just out examine this connection and the results are not as clear cut as everyone would like to believe.
When I first fell in love with regular exercise and healthy (or healthier, anyhow) eating in my early 20’s, one of the first things I noticed was rather than the 6 or so colds I’d been getting every year I was now only getting one or two. This was especially exciting as I’d watch my non-gym buddies drop like flies all around me while I remained hale and hearty because there’s nothing I love more than some nice schadenfreude on a cool fall day. In all seriousness, people began to ask me why I never got the bugs going around and I was more than pleased to tell them “healthy living.”
A few years later down the road of hubris and kids in that germ-incubator we call school had me singing a different tune. Suddenly I was getting more of the sickies although I was still proud to note that most of the time the case was pretty mild. This was also the time when I started to really ramp up my exercise (see GFE supreme failure double cardio). But I thought nothing of it because I knew – fallacy alert! – that the more I exercised the healthier I was. Still, I never quite made the connection.
Mice are smarter than I am. Well, research mice anyhow. This past week two studies were reported in the New York Times examining the effects of no exercise, moderate exercise and high intensity exercise. Both experiments involved little mice running on twee treadmills (adorbs!) and then being exposed to a lethal-to-mice flu virus. Researchers found:
“’A J-shaped curve’ involving exercise and immunity. In this model, the risk both of catching a cold or the flu and of having a particularly severe form of the infection ‘drop if you exercise moderately,’ says Mary P. Miles, PhD, an associate professor of exercise sciences at Montana State University and the author of an editorial about exercise and immunity published in the most recent edition of the journal Exercise and Sport Sciences Review. But the risk both of catching an illness and of becoming especially sick when you do “jump right back up” if you exercise intensely or for a prolonged period of time, surpassing the risks among the sedentary.”
This whole moderation thing makes sense to me – in theory of course, you know how I am – but it is that last sentence that really tweaked my interest. Could intense exercise – defined as “a workout or race of an hour or more during which your heart rate and respiration soar and you feel as if you are working hard” – really be worse for your immune system than being sedentary? I would think that of all three groups, the lazy mice would have fared the worst.
Not true say hundreds of ghostly rodents. The second study found, “more than half of the sedentary mice died [after being exposed to the flu virus]. But only 12 percent of the gently jogging mice passed away. Meanwhile, an eye-popping 70 percent of the mice in the group that had run for hours died, and even those that survived were more debilitated and sick than the control group.” Lest mice aren’t convincing enough, researchers also tested the level of immunoglobulins, substances that fight off infection, in the saliva of professional athletes. These researchers concurred with the rodents saying, “the longer the duration and the more intense the exercise, the longer the temporary period of immunosuppression lasts — anything from a few hours to a few days.”
So what’s a sweat-lovin’ guy or gal to do? Especially if you are signed up for a marathon or other long immunosuppressing race this season? Some suggestions to prevent illness (also known as the OCD Christmas list):
– Wash your hands often
– Carry hand sanitizer (and use it)
– Don’t touch your face
– Wipe down equipment at the gym both before and after using it
– Make sure your diet includes plenty of fresh fruits and veggies
– Get adequate sleep
– Get a flu shot, if you’re into that kind of thing
– Stay home and rest if you have a fever, sore throat, body aches or sprout a curly tail
– Take it easy on the exercise if you just have a cold
(You’ve heard the rule: if it’s above the neck, you’re okay to work out gently; if it goes below the neck then stay the heck away from the rest of us you psycho.)
There. I’ll stop being your mom now. Anyone else surprised by these studies? What are your tips for staying healthy this season? What has been your experience with your exercise and immune system?
Once I had kids old enough to be in school (love the "germ incubator") I was so surprised by how much more our family got sick! I do think we get sick less because of our healthy lifestyle. But after reading this I will try to be careful about exercising while recovering from an illness. Bad stuff.
To combat the sickies I have become a hand-sanitizer freak. I have a huge bottle (not the little wimpy ones) in my purse and one in my car and another at home. Fortunately my three kids think it is fun and they don't mind that I am constantly giving it to them.
BTW props to Montana State! My Mom works for them, I will have to tell her about the article.
Perhaps this comes from a naive non-compulsive-exerciser… but I've always had a sneaking suspicion that extreme exercise isn't that great for you. Just noting the behavioral and physical differences in my mom, who is absolutely a compulsive exerciser, it seems that she was at her happiest and most affable while maintaining moderate exercise.
This is just another thing to back my belief.
thats the day here with the child:
hands out of your mouth
wash your hands
sanitize
hands out of your mouth
wash your hands
sanitize
hands out of your mouth
wash your hands
sanitize
hands out of your mouth
wash your hands
sanitize
hands out of your mouth
wash your hands
sanitize
all.day.long.
I think regular exercise does boost my immune system, at least to some extent. I have no evidence to support this other than that maybe feeling healthier and more awake and energentic has some effect on whether or not you get sick. I don't know but I sense that that might be the case.
In terms of hard exercise– intuitively, routinely engaging in extreme exercise just seems like a bad idea to me and that less intense workouts might be more healthy even if you're not working as hard during. I say that because I know that I've definitely come away from very intense exercise sessions feeling dizzy, nauseated and achey and not in a good "feel the burn" kind of way, but in a "I'm going to vomit and then tip over" kind of way. I think it might put too much stress on the body (on mine at least) and I can definitely see why feeling stressed and exhausted might up one's chances of getting sick.
First, adorable mouse w/ teddy bear.
As far as over-exercising being bad for you in terms of getting sick, it makes perfect sense. The more you work out (read: extended sessions) the more worn out your body becomes. If you're body's tired, your immune system is susceptible and could become comprimised. Think of it like two boxers in a ring; one is the supreme athlete, trained boxer type and the other is, well, me. I come out swinging, landing great punches that the other guy defends against, parries, etc. After a few minutes, I'm worn down from the exertion and he, being the trained fighter, waits for this moment, siezes the opportunity, and lays me out in one punch.
It's like I've always said: All things in moderation, including food, exercise, politics, and religion.
-Joshua
All I can think is poor mice. 🙁
As for experience with exercise/healthy living and getting sick, I can tell you that I get sick less often and less severely than my completely sedentary husband.
My favourite mantra – moderation in everything!
And stay the heck home if you're sick. Really.
(Oh, and I am a compulsive hand-washer…. I'm such a germophobe!)
Great post! I've been telling people these same things all year, while at the same time trying to debunk some really stupid anti-flu advice I've heard.
Our bodies are capable of doing amazing things, but they have their limits. The immune system is always in a delicate balance, which is what allows it to respond so quickly to infections. However, that same delicate balance allows it to easily be derailed.
<3 Mizfit
I know that I get sick more when I'm training for a race than when I'm just exercising. Of course, it doesn't help that the bulk of my training comes during the hottest part of summer and the coldest part of winter.
Schools are yucky! I volunteer at my daughter's elementary school and you would be surprised at the number of kids who use the bathroom without washing their hands. Plus, is it really that hard to cover your mouth when you cough? I wonder about the future of our country when 3rd graders are licking door knobs. Needless to say, I wasn't surprised when 40% of the school was out with H1N1 back in September.
Hooray for moderation!
This works out great for me, as I am far too lazy to get into the intense kinds of exercise where immune function starts to be compromised.
I am wondering, though, if some of my "I never get sick" smugness has more to do with the fact I don't have kids and work at home. I'd rather think it's the moderate exercise and mostly-healthy diet, but from these comments I'm guessing it's mainly because I don't get exposed to nearly the same number of nasties as most people.
(And I too love "some nice schadenfreude on a cool fall day"; you crack me up.)
That's really interesting that the oversexercised mice fared better than the sedentary one…
I guess the old "moderation is the key" thing is true after all 🙂
I"m a compulsive handwasher…but then I qwork in a level 2 lab. Hard not to be slightly germophoby…
Hmmm…I just wrote about over sexed mice. Um…overexercised was what I meant. Um. Yeah.
*whistles*
I don't think it's necessarily long sessions of exercise that makes you sick. It has more to do with not giving yourself adequate recovery time in between and not ramping up to it slowly. As an endurance athlete, I occasionally end up exercising for 3-5 hours at a time, but not every day, and always followed by a rest day.
As long as you're smart about it, your immune system stays strong. It's when you get crazy and can't take days off or decide on a whim that you're going to run 10 miles 5 days a week when all you've done up to that point is walk to the mailbox that things go awry.
I love your blog, Charlotte! I'm a firm believer in moderation in most things. Unfortunately, the link to the editorial does not work, either from your site or the NYT site that also cites it. *sad panda* I wanted to see the pretty J curve myself!
By the way, I linked over to you today. Not that many people visit me, but I thought they would enjoy your stuff.
Oh…and isn't today your due date?
-Joshua
I don't find this surprising at all. I feel awful with no exercise. I feel GREAT with moderate (for me) exercise. I feel a little shaky when I'm getting to the tippy top of my mileage/intensity training for a race. I agree – I think as long as you adequately feed yourself healthy food, get enough rest, and give yourself adequate recovery, you're doing ok.
As a rule, I try to alternate intense and not intense days and take at least 2 rest days a week. I make sure to get 8 hours of sleep, and play catch up if I happen to stay up too late one night.
The last cold I had was so mild I literally though I had allergies. And then it cleared up four days later. It kicked my mildly exercising husband in the butt for almost 2 weeks. I have taken approximately 1 sick day each year for the last 3 years.
Don't mean to brag, but I think I have this down. 😉 I also don't have kids, but I do work in an office, so take it as you will.
That first pic.. TOO MUCH!!!!
As fro me, I do all that wiping down, hand sanitizer at the gym for sure!!!!
As for me, I don't get sick too often..knock on wood! I work out pretty intensely so maybe I am the exception OR my bod just got used to it…. BUT, we should all use common sense when we are sick too!
When I took pediatrics in med school, I was exposed to sick kids every day for 6 weeks! I had the cleanest hands in the world from all that washing! NEVER got sick! I'm a believer!
I rarely get sick, but it's hard to separate where the healthy eating ends and the exercising begins. I happen to think that eating healthy probably has more to do with my immunity than exercise.
I have, however, read that over-exercising, or being a cardio addict can cause excessive cortisol, which lowers your immunity.
I think I had the flu, and it manifested as smokers cough, and I had to quit smoking. I've also been too tired for gym, but have been taking many walks.
Overall, I'm not surprised at the results, I think extreme anything isn't healthy
I just ran a marathon and got H1N1 that following Thursday. I'm finaly recovering. My dr said I probably caught it from my immune system being surpressed due to the stress on my body from the marathon
The researchers could have saved a bunch of money if they had gone straight to the marathoners and triathletes. Crossing the finish line is never the last hurdle, it's avoiding getting sick after! But here's where the study failed: define moderate. I think moderate exercise is like target heart rate–it varies for each person. AND let's hear it for oversexercised mice. Now that's worth reading through all the comments!
I sometimes wonder if I should just dress my family in Haz-Mat suits. It would save a lot of time.
And that picture of the mouse with the teddy bear? One of the cutest things EVER!!!!!!!
Sports nutrition is important for athletes in order to achieve top performance. Such as taking health supplements in building muscles and to establish a better stamina. Along with proper diet and exercise, one can get in shape.
Orthomol immun Compromised immune system Excellent idea
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