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Chronic exercise training effects on immune function.

L T Mackinnon1

  • 1School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. laurel@hms.uq.edu.au

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|July 26, 2000
PubMed
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Regular moderate exercise may enhance immune function, while intense training might slightly impair it, potentially increasing susceptibility to infections like upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). Athletes can prevent URTI by managing training load and ensuring adequate recovery and nutrition.

Area of Science:

  • Exercise immunology
  • Human immune function
  • Infectious disease epidemiology

Background:

  • Athletes and active individuals often perceive moderate exercise as immune-enhancing and intense exercise as immune-suppressing.
  • Epidemiological data in endurance athletes and intervention studies support this perception regarding upper respiratory tract infections (URTI).
  • High URTI incidence in endurance athletes necessitates understanding the link between chronic exercise and immune function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current literature on the chronic effects of exercise training on human immune function.
  • To investigate the impact of moderate versus intense exercise on immune parameters and illness resistance.
  • To explore the relationship between exercise training, immune function, and susceptibility to infections like URTI.

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Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on exercise training and immune function in humans.
  • Analysis of epidemiological data and intervention studies.
  • Examination of immune parameters including neutrophil function, immunoglobulin levels, plasma glutamine, and natural killer cell activity.

Main Results:

  • Intense exercise training may lead to slight impairments in immune parameters like neutrophil function and immunoglobulin levels.
  • Moderate exercise training generally has no negative effect and may even stimulate immune parameters.
  • Immune cell numbers typically remain normal during intense exercise training.

Conclusions:

  • While athletes are not clinically immune deficient, cumulative immune changes may reduce resistance to minor illnesses like URTI.
  • Strategies to prevent URTI in athletes include avoiding overtraining, ensuring rest, adequate nutrition, and possibly vitamin C.
  • The benefit of moderate exercise for preventing infectious illness in the general population remains unclear.