Doing a few push-ups before getting the flu shot can increase the number of antibodies you take against the virus, and if you are already physically active, this effect could be further increased.
Key points:
- People who are physically active tend to generate a better immune response to vaccines
- The analysis shows that an exercise period just before vaccination can increase the levels of antibodies against a type of flu virus.
- Further studies are needed to determine which exercises most effectively improve antibody production
This is the result of an analysis by researchers at the University of Sydney and UNSW, which was the first to compare the effects of a workout before getting vaccinated against seasonal flu in physically active people. compared to its inactive counterparts.
The report, published today in the journal PLoS ONE, did not track whether participants eventually caught the flu, but did suggest that exercise could benefit a particular part of the population: the elderly.
The researchers found that younger adults between the ages of 18 and 35 generated high levels of antibodies regardless of their initial physical activity levels or whether they had exercised before vaccination.
But with each passing year, our immune system tends to slow down and become less sensitive to vaccines.
We produce fewer antibodies, which help us to protect ourselves from the real disease, if we find it.
And while we can’t stop the inexorable passage of time, we can move to help our immune system, said study lead author Erika Bohn-Goldbaum.
“Being physically active throughout life is a good thing, and in fact, we saw a suggestion that physical activity and [a bout of] acute exercise was more beneficial for the elderly.
“So no matter how old you are: start.”
How does exercise affect how we respond to vaccines?
When the pandemic put an end to her doctoral experiments, Ms. Bohn-Goldbaum and her colleagues pooled data from seven exercise studies, each of which measured antibody levels a month or so later. of influenza vaccination.
They ended up with data from 550 people between the ages of 18 and 87.
Those who met the recommended amount of weekly physical activity by the World Health Organization were more likely to quadruple their blood antibody levels, compared to pre-vaccination levels, than inactive people.
But Ms. Bohn-Goldbaum and her team also found an added benefit of weight training or endurance just before vaccination, which elicited a stronger immune response than a 45-minute exercise bike.
Our immune system response decreases with age, so in Australia, people over the age of 65 receive an “improved” seasonal flu vaccine. (Unsplash: Phillippe Leone)
So how does our immune response to vaccines boost a gym session, or even just using resistance bands?
There are a lot of different theories. One boils down to the fact that weight training slightly damages our muscles.
If we lift a dumbbell in a biceps curl and the muscles of the upper arm are under enough tension, their cells suffer minor damage, especially if we are not used to the movement.
This causes our muscle cells to send “danger signals” to our immune system, which attracts a type of immune cell, called a dendritic cell, to damaged areas.
Dendritic cells help build muscle, but crucially, they are also a vital part of our antibody production line.
So if you then inject a vaccine into the same muscle, there are already a lot of dendritic cells ready to start producing antibodies.
That was the most likely explanation for what the researchers found, said Ms. Bohn-Goldbaum.
“The reason we think it’s because we saw more effects on people who had done upper extremity exercise.”
Not all strains (and studies) are the same
The annual flu vaccine is designed to protect us against four flu viruses, and the new analysis found that exercise increases the antibodies against one of them, H1N1, but not necessarily the others.
Why this was the case was a mystery, Ms Bohn-Goldbaum said, but different flu viruses triggered different levels of immune response.
Vax flu protects against four viruses
- Two flu A:
- Two B flu:
- B / Victoria tends to infect younger people
- B / Yamagata can now be eradicated
Study participants did not represent a real part of the population, by age. They skewed younger (18 to 35 years old) or older (over 65 years old).
And because studies varied their exercise periods by type and intensity, it is impossible to identify the most effective antibody-generating training, or even when to do so, said Ms. Bohn-Goldberg.
“There was nothing to say [exercise] it should happen two hours before or within 24 hours after vaccination, and nothing to say should you exercise the arm you are injecting into compared to your legs.
“There are many unknowns because the studies are usually small.
“I will say that exercise never hurts, just in general, and also for vaccine responses. Exercise is good.”
Queensland University of Technology exercise physiologist Jonathan Peake, who did not participate in the study, agreed.
“The paper shows that there are benefits to regular physical activity, whether it’s endurance exercise, strength training or aerobic exercise, to improve immune responses to vaccinations.
“The benefits of regular exercise are especially important for the elderly: if the elderly can maintain regular levels of physical activity, they will benefit even more from this vaccination than they would otherwise.”
The next step, he said, was to figure out the optimal way to exercise to boost the immune response to vaccination.
And there are other ways to keep our immune system in top shape, regardless of age.
Our immune system is not an autonomous entity; it is interconnected with all the other systems in our body.
“Nutrition and sleep are definitely things that are under our control,” Dr. Peake said.
“Sleep influences our stress levels and I believe that chronic stress levels, mental health disorders and nutrition will be, in combination with exercise, the main physical factors influencing the way we the immune system responds to vaccinations.
“The very basic message is to focus on having a healthy lifestyle. And it’s a bit of a cliché, but all in moderation.”
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