Immune Boosting Benefits of Exercise

Have you ever wondered why, with all the current restrictions in place, we are being constantly told by the Government to exercise? Well, we all know the obvious benefits of exercise to our physical and mental well-being. But did you know that exercise primes your immune system to become an ultimate fighting force?

Exercise and immunity

Humans are designed for movement, most of our genes and physiology expects and needs consistent movement for most of the day. If not, we cannot be healthy. For well over 100 years science has shown that exercise really is the “Poly-Pill” for all of our ill’s. It’s the activity that cannot be touched as far as efficiency and effectiveness in keeping us fit and healthy and ready to defend us from anything. Each bout of moderate exercise we take promotes the improved performance of our immune system and when we repeat on a regular basis we have health benefits across the board, decreased illness and a dampening of excessive inflammation. 

Fitter people have fewer infections

The current Covid-19 is a virus that predominately causes an upper respiratory tract (URTIs) and lung infections creating excessive inflammation. Many studies over the years have compared age and sex-matched populations to see the difference between the risk of (URT) infections between highly active and sedentary groups. The difference is striking! In all studies, the magnitude of reduced risk in the physically active group is 40-50%.  This far outweighs any medication or supplement known to man in every aspect of chronic disease, but there is a caveat, you need to be doing it consistently. But do it consistently, you train, improve and battle harden a part of you that defends you from the outside world. No wonder the public health message is one of daily physical activity.

Exercise is the “Poly-Pill” for all of our ill’s

Our immune system is very responsive to consistent exercise and it becomes the stimulus that allows a training effect to occur. This training effect has multiple influences which are helpful in reducing risk for viral infections but also reducing the co-morbidity effects of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, all characterised by high inflammation, oxidative stress and an immune dysfunction just like the CoVid19 infection.

Four reasons why moderate consistent exercise helps immunity

1. Exercise allows for better immune security patrols

Exercise allows the immune system to get around the body more effectively. The increase in blood flow and blood pressure allows better exchange between blood and lymph which allows a better delivery service of immune cells to far off places within our body such as the lung fields. This allows for better “Immuno-surveillance”, we are more able to identify and react to invaders because we can deploy more troops more efficiently too hard to reach areas and better control the borders. The more this happens the better the effect over time, hence the need for consistent moderate exercise.

2. Exercise produces stronger soldiers

Exercise creates a recruiting ground for soldiers. It allows the immune system to recruit more killer cells and through training (consistent exercise) makes these killer cells more effective (cytotoxic) in defending us from bacterial and viral assaults. A single bout of exercise serves to enrich the blood with immune cells that are more ready and primed to fight. 

3. Exercise protects and solves whole-body problems

Exercise stimulates many positive cellular and molecular changes throughout most body tissues and organs to promote anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. By promoting these effects exercise can influence and reduce the severity and duration of infection. Regular exercise training causes a stressor on own anti-oxidant systems and so with repeated exposure, our own systems become more effective at protecting us. These repeated bouts of exercise led immunosurveillance allows our immune system to travel around the body solving problems, clearing out damaged tissue, killing pathogens and talking to cells to reduce inflammation or stop inappropriate cell growth. 

4. Exercise reboots an ageing immune system.

Regular exercise throughout life helps slow down Immunosenescence (how our immune system ages). This is a critical point when looking at the Covid data as the majority of deaths are ones of advancing age. How well your immune system is capable of protecting you in your later years is dependent largely on how healthy you have been throughout your life. Your immune system can, however, be remodelled for improvement at any stage of your life and health, by exercise and all the other healthy lifestyle activities. Age and sex-matched studies between elderly physically active and sedentary men and women show marked differences in immune status. Simply put, we delay the ageing of the immune system by regular physical activity even to the point we can create an enhanced vaccination response in the physically active elderly. 

Our Covid-19 call to arms

In this once in a lifetime event, we are forced to look at many aspects of how we are living our lives. Exercise is the Poly-Pill for all ill’s and if we take our 'medication' frequently and consistently it helps our defence force (immune system) to become trained fighters, thereby reducing the risk of infection. You are never too old to start. Your immune system gets huge benefits from regular exercise, limiting and delaying the ageing of your defence force. Let’s get ready for battle.

Pete Williams is the Founder of Functional Medicine Associates in London.