If you are still planning to get a flu vaccine, you can use the research finding of scientists from the University of Iowa, which will increase the effectiveness of the vaccine as soon as possible.
Sports scientists have found that if people do moderate training soon after receiving the flu vaccine, they will significantly increase the ability of their immune system to fight the flu virus.
The research team, led by Professor Marian Kohut, compared two groups of young, healthy people who participated in the study who had received the flu vaccine. After vaccination, one group devoted either 90 minutes to jogging or 15 minutes to riding a bicycle. The other group was inactive at the time. Within a month after vaccination, researchers tested the level of antibodies to the influenza virus in the blood of study participants, which is an indicator of the body's immune response and ability to resist infection, several times.
The results showed that participants who were involved in sports after vaccination had an immune response almost twice as high as those of less active participants.
Moderate exercise stimulates the immune system by causing white blood cells to move all over the body to fight infections faster and more efficiently, scientists say.
But regular workouts provide more benefits and lead to a more sustainable result. Experts usually recommend that most adults have at least 20–30 minutes of moderate-intensity athletic activity (brisk walking, cycling, jogging, or swimming) every day.
