Physical Activity, Immunity, and COVID-19

June 30, 2020 Joe Brady
Posted by Joe Brady on

Physical activity is known to have a profound impact on the normal functioning of the immune system. Currently, no scientific data exists regarding the effects of exercise on this coronavirus, there is evidence that exercise can protect you from many other viral infections. Having better cardiorespiratory fitness and performing regular moderate physical activity has been shown to improve immune responses to disease states including cancer, HIV, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment, and obesity. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised a lot of questions regarding how exercise can protect us from infection by boosting immunity. Between the closing of gyms and canceling of exercise classes combined with social isolation can inhibit many critical functions of our immune system. under stress, our T-cells are markedly reduced, as is the ability of certain lymphocytes to recognize and kill cells in our body that have become infected with viruses. Maintaining a healthy immune response is crucial in maintaining our body’s ability to fight off infections in the lungs and elsewhere in the body. Read more and see resources for exercising safely during the pandemic.

Each time you exercise your body mobilizes billions of immune cells especially those that are capable of the recognition and killing of virus-infected cells. Immune cells that are mobilized with exercise are primed and ‘looking for a fight.’ 

It is vitally important that we try to maintain our activity levels within recommended guidelines. Exercise can also help counter the negative effects of isolation and confinement stress on various aspects of immunity. 

“Currently, the greatest risk of COVID-19 infection is exposure. It is paramount that we find creative ways to exercise while maintaining social distancing and proper hygienic countermeasures. While exercise may not prevent us from becoming infected if exposed, it is likely that keeping active will boost our immune system to help minimize the deleterious effects of the virus, ameliorate our symptoms, expedite our recovery times and lower the likelihood that we can infect others with whom we come into contact. This is merely my intuition, but I do expect a large body of exercise immunology research to follow after this pandemic so that we can provide more specific exercise recommendations as they pertain to infection risk and control in both healthy and clinical populations.”

Richard J. Simpson, Ph.D., FACSM, is an associate professor in the Departments of Nutritional Sciences, Pediatrics, and Immunobiology at the University of Arizona. 

See Exercise, Immunity and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Richard J. Simpson, Ph.D., FACSM https://www.acsm.org/blog-detail/acsm-blog/2020/03/30/exercise-immunity-covid-19-pandemic

Resources and support for keeping active during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

As we grapple with the consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it’s easy to forget an important component of health-related to the immune system: exercise! 

Exercise is Medicine® has assembled a variety of scientific articles and resources related to the effects of exercise (acute and chronic) on the body’s immune response. Although specific data related to COVID-19 and exercise has not yet been obtained, research examining the body’s response to exercise reveals a cascade of cellular mechanisms that help protect the body from viral illnesses. In addition, there is clear evidence that exercise reduces depressive symptoms in everyone, including number and severity, as well as the acute and chronic symptoms of anxiety. This could be a very important benefit of maintaining an active routine during this period of isolation and stress.

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