Staying indoors during COVID-19 lockdown is surely getting boring day by day. All most of us are doing are either sitting, eating, or doing something on our phones.?Among other things, we've been trying to better our immunity to strengthen our body if it ever comes across COVID-19.?
Our body hasn¡¯t really been active like it used to be.?And in case you were looking for cool incentives to start working out, we¡¯ve got the best one for you.
According to a study published in 2018 in Frontiers in Immunology, research has revealed that exercising regularly has had a positive effect on the immunity of the body, strengthening it from the ground up.?
The study was conducted by Dr James Turner and Dr John Campbell from the University of Bath's Department for Health, where they found that frequent exercise enhances¡ªrather than suppresses¡ªimmune competency, and highlight key findings from human vaccination studies which show heightened responses to bacterial and viral antigens following sessions of exercise.?
They further mention that working out constantly and leading an active lifestyle limits or delays ageing of the immune system. They also state that exercising enhances in vivo immune responses to bacterial, viral and other antigens.?
There have been studies in the past that have revealed that too much exercise in-fact weakens the immune system (dubbed the open window hypothesis). But their study debunks this in the aforementioned study revealing that not only there is limited evidence to support the claim, but also the alleged changes to mucosal immunity that is hinted in this hypothesis don¡¯t indicate a period of immune suppression.
Moreover, the reductions to lymphocyte numbers and functions an hour or two after exercise actually shows a time-dependent and smooth redistribution of immune cells to peripheral tissues that actually results in better immune surveillance and regulation.
James Turner explains, ¡°Our work has concluded that there is very limited evidence for exercise directly increasing the risk of becoming infected with viruses. In the context of coronavirus and the conditions, we find ourselves in today, the most important consideration is reducing your exposure from other people who may be carrying the virus.¡±
He further added, ¡°But people should not overlook the importance of staying fit, active and healthy during this period. Provided it is carried out in isolation -- away from others -- than regular, daily exercise will help better maintain the way the immune system works -- not suppress it.¡±