Exercise and respiratory tract viral infections.
Prolonged intense exercise causes immunosuppression, whereas moderate-intensity exercise improves immune function and potentially reduces risk and severity of respiratory viral infections. Here, based on available evidence, we present a model whereby moderate exercise-induced increases in stress hormones reduce excessive local inflammation and skew the immune response away from a TH1 and toward a TH2 phenotype, thus improving outcomes after respiratory viral infections.
Martin
Stephen A
SA
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Pence
Brandt D
BD
Woods
Jeffrey A
JA
D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology; D023421:Models, Animal; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*