Does Exercising Boost the Immune System?

Member of the Turkish National Allergy and Clinical Immunology Association. Lecturer Esra Hazar said that the inflammation in the body decreases in the person who exercises, the immune system is strengthened, and warned not to overdo the exercise.

Stating that the production and secretion of cytokines that initiate inflammation increases with one-time intense exercise, but an increase is observed in serum levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, that is, cytokines that prevent inflammation, with a secondary effect, said Hazar, "If exercise is done regularly, the cytokines that initiate inflammation gradually decrease, and the cytokines that prevent inflammation increase."

According to studies, exercise causes changes in the number and functions of cells in the immune system, thus increasing the metabolic rate, the release of some hormones and growth factors. A short exercise session raises the counts of neutrophils, blood cells that play an important role in fighting germs. Stating that moderate physical activity causes an increase in the levels of antibodies that fight germs in the saliva, but may cause a significant decrease in antibody levels that cause allergies, Hazar said, “In studies, an increase in the levels of protective antibody G in the serum was observed in athletes after acute exercise and long repeated training periods. the opposite decrease was observed when they exercised much harder. In the light of the information obtained from the studies, while regular moderate physical activity has beneficial effects on health by stimulating our immune system in a positive way, excessive amounts of intense physical activity can lead to negative results," he said, warning about not overdoing the exercise.

“The dangers of excessive exercise”

Exercising every day and not allowing the body to rest can harm the body in many ways. Some of those damages Dr. Hazar listed as follows:

• Performance level and motivation may decrease.
• It may be difficult to fall asleep.
• Exercising excessively can cause an increase in stress hormones.
• Heavy sports activities can cause permanent rhythm disorders.
• It can pave the way for chronic injuries.
• While you want to gain muscle, otherwise you may lead to muscle loss.
• It may cause further progression of the disease in cases such as herniated disc, osteoporosis, meniscus, ligament injuries, muscle problems.