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Exercise, infection, and immunity

D C Nieman1

  • 1Department of Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science; Appalachian State University.

International Journal of Sports Medicine
|October 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
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Moderate exercise may reduce upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) risk, while intense exercise might increase it. Immune system responses to exercise and infection risk require further investigation.

Area of Science:

  • Exercise physiology
  • Immunology
  • Infectious disease

Background:

  • The relationship between physical exertion and susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) is complex.
  • Previous studies suggest a potential link between exercise intensity and infection risk, but findings are often equivocal.
  • Understanding the immune system's response to exercise is crucial for elucidating infection risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between exercise and URTI risk in humans.
  • To investigate experimentally induced infections in animals under varying exercise conditions.
  • To explore potential immune system alterations that may explain exercise-related changes in infection risk.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on exercise, immune function, and URTI.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of animal studies involving experimentally induced infections and exercise paradigms.
  • Examination of immune cell function, including T and NK cells, in relation to exercise recovery.

    • Main Results:

    • Animal study results indicate that exercise interventions' effects on infection are pathogen-specific and depend on animal characteristics and exercise type.
    • Published data suggest a "J" curve relationship between exercise workload and URTI risk: moderate exercise may decrease risk, while heavy exercise may increase it.
    • While high-intensity exercise can transiently decrease T and NK cell function, the link to reduced host protection after accounting for immune cell subset changes is uncertain.

    Conclusions:

    • A "J" curve model may describe the relationship between exercise intensity and URTI risk, though further research with robust designs is needed.
    • The immune system's role in mediating the exercise-infection relationship is complex and requires more investigation.
    • Current evidence does not strongly support a direct link between exercise-induced immune changes and decreased host protection against URTIs.