If you had a way to make the vaccine for corona or even the flu more effective, would you not do it? Preliminary research from the University of Iowa State finds that exercise for 90 minutes immediately after vaccination against the coronavirus or influenza may result in the production of additional antibodies and stronger general immunity.
While you were vaccinated and probably back to your normal schedule, study subjects were asked to ride an exercise bike or go for a brisk walk for a full 90 minutes after being vaccinated. They showed signs of more antibodies for at least four weeks after vaccination. Similar results were also seen in mice. The study was published in Brain Behavior and Immunity.
Antibodies are our body’s first line of defense against pathogens and viruses like COVID-19. In doing so, vaccines help the immune system and better prepare the body’s defense mechanisms to respond quickly and resolutely in the form of more specific antibodies.
“Our preliminary results demonstrate that there is a certain period of time that can improve the body’s antibody response to corona vaccine and also to influenza vaccines,” says research author and professor of kinesiology Marian Kohut in a statement.
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The research team made it clear that these findings can benefit anyone at any fitness level and there is really no obligation to be in excellent shape. In fact, nearly half of the participants were overweight or obese. Typically, each participant focused on maintaining a heart rate of about 120 to 140 beats per minute during training.
The researchers also tested whether just 45 minutes of post-vaccination exercise would result in a similar boost in immunity, and eventually found no. Next, they are interested in seeing what a full hour of exercise can do after the vaccine.
The authors believe that there are a number of possible factors that cause these results: The first explanation concerns the fact that when we exercise, the blood flow in the lymphatic system increases, which means that the flow of immune cells is also greater. The more these immune cells circulate in the body, the more likely they are to detect a threat and protect us. Data collected during rodent experiments also suggest that a specific protein produced in response to exercise (interferon alpha) may help generate specific antibodies to the virus and T cells.
“More research is needed to answer why and how. There are so many changes that occur when we exercise – metabolic, biochemical, neuroendocrine, cyclic. So there is probably a combination of factors that contribute to the antibody response we found in our study,” the researchers concluded.
It is important to note that people tested in this study are still being monitored until six months after vaccination and the researchers hope to check and update further on antibody levels at this stage.