In his new studio, the magazine; Brain, Behavior, and Immunity reported that participants who rode a stationary bike or exercised at a brisk pace for an hour and a half after receiving an injection. They produced more antibodies over the next four weeks compared to participants who sat or went about their daily routine after immunization.
The researchers found similar results when they conducted an experiment with mice and treadmills.
A specific amount of time can enhance the antibody response
Antibodies are essentially the body’s “search and destroy” line of defense against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Vaccines help the immune system learn how to identify something foreign and respond by strengthening the body’s defenses, including raising antibodies.
The study findings could directly benefit people with a range of fitness levels, the researchers say. Nearly half of the participants in the experiment had a BMI in the overweight or obese category. During 90 minutes of exercise, they focused on maintaining a pace that kept their heart rate between 120 and 140 beats per minute rather than distance.
Why could exercise improve the body’s immune response?
The researchers also tested whether participants could get the same antibody boost from just 45 minutes of exercise. They found that the shorter workout did not increase the participants’ antibody levels. The research team can test whether 60 minutes is enough to generate a response in a follow-up study, Kohut says.
As for why prolonged light-to-moderate intensity exercise might improve the body’s immune response, Kohut says there could be multiple reasons. Exercising increases blood and lymph flow, which helps immune cells circulate. As these cells move through the body, they are more likely to detect something foreign.
The data from the mouse experiment also suggested that one type of protein (ie interferon alpha). Produced during exercise helps generate virus-specific antibodies and T cells.
It is probably a combination of factors that contribute to the antibody response.
“But much more research is needed to answer why and how. There are so many changes that take place when we exercise: metabolic, biochemical, neuroendocrine, circulatory. So there is probably a combination of factors contributing to the antibody response that we found in our study,” says Kohut.
The researchers continue to track the antibody response in participants six months after immunization and have launched another study focusing on the effects of exercise in people receiving booster injections.
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