Common cold under attack, from exercise

Dr David Nieman and a team of researchers from Appalachian State University in North Carolina, told the British Journal of Sports Medicine that bouts of exercise spark a temporary rise in immune system cells circulating around the body that can attack foreign invaders. Although these levels fall back within a few hours, each session is likely to provide an immune boost to fight off infections like the common cold.

For their study, the US researchers asked 1,000 healthy volunteers to keep a record of any coughs and sniffles they experienced over a three-month period during the autumn and winter. The volunteers were also asked to say how frequently in any given week they would do exercise lasting at least 20 minutes and intensive enough to break a sweat.

And they were questioned about lifestyle, diet and recent stressful events, as these can all affect a person’s immune system. Being older, male and married seemed to reduce the frequency of colds, as did eating plenty of fruit.

But the most significant factors that cut colds was how much exercise a person did and how fit they perceived themselves to be. Feeling fit and being active cut the risk of having a cold by nearly 50%.

People who were physically active on five or more days of the week were unwell with a cold for about five days of the three-month period, compared to nine days for those who did little or no exercise. And even when they were ill, they suffered less with their symptoms.

Somebody hasn’t been exercising

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