Exercise: The only “immune-booster” you need

The human immune system is a complex and wondrous thing; none of us would last much more than a day without one. It guards us against the threats of viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections and even has a role to play in mopping up rogue cells with the potential to cause cancer. A poorly functioning immune system can lead to frequent and prolonged infections such as colds, influenza or worse. We owe it to ourselves to keep our immune systems fighting fit and raring to go, especially in a post-COVID world.

It’s difficult to walk through a pharmacy or supermarket without being bombarded by marketing for the latest “immune-boosting” supplement, superfood, or medication but there is a far more effective medicine that is completely free: exercise! A bout of exercise stimulates activity and exchange between our immune-cell-containing lymph tissue and our bloodstream. When repeated, this effect becomes amplified leading to an immune system that is faster to detect threats and to deploy immune cells to eliminate the threat.

Multiple high-quality scientific studies have shown that near-daily moderate exercise decreases the risk of colds and flu by 40-50%. This far surpasses the effect of any drug or supplement! Regular exercisers also have a far lower chance of dying from influenza or pneumonia. The cherry on top is that regular exercisers also display an enhanced response to vaccinations meaning that it is the fittest among us who stand to gain the most from the COVID vaccine.

To our regular exercisers: great job, give yourselves a pat on the back! And to our future exercisers: this is another compelling reason to get going today. No amount of exercise is too small to see some benefit, so start slowly and build up towards at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week. Doing more than that brings additional benefits so feel free to aim even higher!