Exercising regularly may have more significance in preventing a cold over other lifestyle factors, such as age or dietary habits, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 online issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

‘Exercise is a very potent stimulus to the immune system,’ said David Nieman, lead author of the study and professor in the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.

For the report, ‘Upper respiratory tract infection is reduced in physically fit and active adults,’ Nieman and co-researchers studied a group of 1,002 men and women aged 18 to 85. Over 12 weeks during winter and fall 2008, researchers examined subjects’ cold symptoms, how much and what kind of aerobic activity subjects said they performed weekly and subjects’ perceived fitness levels, Nieman said.

Factors that can impact the immune system, including gender, age, education, body mass index, dietary habits and stressful life events, were examined. Researchers found the most significant factors were perceived and actual fitness levels. Other characteristics such as being an older married male saw fewer colds, as well.

Researchers found the frequency and severity of colds among participants who exercised five or more days a week was 43 percent less than those who exercised one day or less during the week, Nieman said.

Participants also ranked how they perceived their physical fitness levels, Nieman said. The group that reported feeling most physically fit experienced 46 percent fewer days of cold symptoms than those who reported they felt least fit. This is because perceived feelings of general wellness could counter those of feeling ill, according to the study.

One reason for the study’s findings is exercise hastens the pace of the body’s natural defense system by speeding up heart rate and improving the ability of immune cells to kill pathogens, Nieman said.

‘Taking a pill or supplement or eating a certain way just doesn’t do that the way exercise does,’ Nieman said.

Though the gym is often seen as a breeding ground for germs, Nieman said wherever a person exercises, whether it be outside or on a treadmill, he or she will still have the same immune-strengthening circulation response.

The adolescent immune response is very similar to that of an adult, but the phenomenon has not been studied in adolescents yet, Nieman said.

Stefan Keslacy, assistant professor of exercise science at Syracuse University, said he agrees exercise significantly improves the immune system. The role of exercise in preventing infection is determined largely by how often a person exercises, Keslacy said.

‘The wrong advice would be to tell students to stop exercise and that will keep them protected against the common cold,’ he said. ‘It is consistent and regular exercise that will protect your immune system.’

Decreased exercise over a period of time will increase the inflammation response in the body and make a person more susceptible to the common cold, Keslacy said.

To fight illness, Mary Anne Carlson, a junior exercise science major, said she turns to exercise to help alleviate her symptoms.

Carlson said: ‘I like to look at it as if I’m releasing the germs in my body through working out.’

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Published on November 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm