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Exercise and Immunity

Exercising can improve the person’s overall health and wellness. Exercise is performed for different reasons like for better immune system, improve strength, cardiovascular system, weight loss, improving health, developing muscles, to power up athletic skills and also for body’s enjoyment. For health benefits, the amount of exercise needed is based on the golas, age of the person and the type of exercise. Exercising at least once a day is very good for our health even a small amount because it’s better than not exercising. Exercise is good for everybody, but people should not overdo it. Others who already exercise should not exercise more just to improve their immunity. Exercises that are long term and heavy could cause harm to the immune system like intense gym training and marathon running. Those who have a moderately energetic lifestyle, can benefit most from starting and staying in an exercise program. Most common moderate programs can consist of taking a daily walk for half an hour, going to the gym every other day and bicycling with family. Immune cell functions are impaired following acute sessions of prolonged, high-intensity exercise, and some studies have found that athletes are at a higher risk for infections. The immune systems of athletes and nonathletes are generally similar. Athletes may have slightly elevated natural killer cell count and cytolytic action, but these are unlikely to be clinically significant.

Immune System

The immune system is the body’s protection against infections because the system keeps our body healthy by attacking the germs. The immune system has different parts and they have their own different functions. Leukocytes- white blood cells, plays a very important role in our immune system Phagocytes- they chew up the invading organisms Lymphocytes- reminds the body about the invaders and kill them Neutrophil- fights bacteria B lymphocytes- it’s like the body’s military intelligence system T lymphocytes- they are the soldiers because they destroy the invaders that B lymphocytes find.

When our body senses antigens, the immune system acts to recognize the antigens and get rid of them. The B lymphocytes are activated to make antibodies. These proteins bind onto specific antigens, the antigens stays inside the body. That’s because if the immune system meets that antigen again, the antibodies are prepared to do their job. Antibodies can lock into it but won’t be able to destroy it without any help. T cells are killer cells because they destroy antigens tagged by antibodies or cells that are infected or somehow changed. The specialized cells and parts of the immune system offer the body protection against disease. This protection is referred to as immunity. There are three types of immunity that humans have. First, Innate immunity, everyone is born with this immunity because it’s natural and it;s a type of general protection. Adaptive immunity, this immunity develops through our lives lieke we developed this immunity when we’re exposed to diseases or when we’re immunized against them with vaccines. Last, passive immunity, this immunity is borrowed from different sources and it only lasts for a short time.

Although there have been hundreds of studies on physical exercise and the immune system, there is little direct evidence on its connection to illnesS. Epidemiological evidence suggests that moderate exercise has a beneficial effect on the human immune system; an effect which is modeled in a J curve. Moderate exercise has been associated with a 29% decreased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). The depression in the immune system following acute bouts of exercise may be one of the mechanisms for this anti-inflammatory effect. thumb