In this article, it is said that, “Exercise training can be considered as a kind of “immunotherapy,” potentially representing a highly cost-effective measure that can dramatically improve human quality of life.”
Given the world we are currently living in, everyone wants to know all the ways to boost the immune system and what they can do to stay well! While the strength of your immune system depends on many factors, physical activity and exercise have demonstrated playing a role in impacting your ability to fight infection, however, it isn’t quite as simple as “just exercise more.” Some factors you have control over, and others you don’t. But I do believe it is worth bettering your understanding, now more than ever as there is a threshold of both too much and not enough.
Aerobic and Resistance Training have been shown to be the most effective forms of exercise when it comes to influencing immunosenescence.
An aging immune system is characterized by a pro-inflammatory environment. Aerobic exercise training is known to be anti-inflammatory and this observation has led to the belief that aerobic exercise training may be successful at slowing or even preventing the decline in immune function as we age (or immunosenescence.)
It is also noted that as we have seen a large rise in a more sedentary lifestyle, we have seen a concurrent rise in inflammatory diseases such as certain types of cancers (like breast cancer, colon, or prostate cancer), and autoimmune disease.
Aside from aging, there is evidence that also supports obesity being another cause of immunosuppression and that it may lessen your ability to fight off illness. However, some research has also shown that regular exercise can help reverse some of these effects, regardless of whether or not weight loss occurs. So it can be said that anyone’s immune system can benefit from some exercise, regardless of their weight and/or if weight loss is the goal or whether it is achieved or not!
So how much do you actually need to exercise to
see the benefits of it?
Too little will not result in any of the positive adaptations. Too much or very high intensity exercise can cause high amounts of oxidative stress which lead to injury, our inability to properly recover and even a reduction in our performance.
Just enough is a very relative amount and can be adjusted from person to person as well as over time as adaptations occur and performance increases.
For the following recommendations, adjust as needed based on your progression, your ability and your aerobic capacity.
For true beginners who are completely sedentary, starting with 1 to 2 - 30 minute sessions per week may be enough to get started. They can then progress and increase the number of active days and/or the duration of sessions.
For most people who are already moderately active, they’re likely to get the most benefit by exercising 3–5 days per week for 30–60 minutes per day, while keeping your heart rate less than 75% of your maximum.
True high-intensity (which isn’t achieved by your typical HIIT session) and especially long-duration cardio (think training like ultrarunners and Ironman triathletes) can push you more towards the “too much” end of the spectrum and therefore have a detrimental effect on the immune system. Note: We are not discouraging this when done intentionally as this type of training is highly specific for competitive athletes, however, this would typically be performed under the supervision of a professional. However, we do believe this type of training is best reserved for truly competitive athletes and does carry risk and is not necessary for most moderately active people who are not competitive in any certain sport.
References
B;, Weyh C;Krüger K;Strasser. “Physical Activity and Diet Shape the Immune System During Aging.” Nutrients, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 28 Feb. 2020, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32121049/.
PC;, Turner JE;Brum. “Does Regular Exercise Counter T Cell Immunosenescence Reducing the Risk of Developing Cancer and Promoting Successful Treatment of Malignancies?” Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28751932/.
Sellami, Maha, et al. “Effects of Acute and Chronic Exercise on Immunological Parameters in the Elderly Aged: Can Physical Activity Counteract the Effects of Aging?” Frontiers, Frontiers, 4 Sept. 2018, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02187/full#h7.
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