Sport and the immune system: benefits and excesses
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Sport and the immune system: benefits and excesses
A generally healthy lifestyle and a varied, balanced diet are not the only things that matter for the health of our immune system. Training, training often and training well can be decisive in improving our physiological responses to external pathogens. On the other hand, training too much or training in a disorganised way can sometimes have counterproductive effects on our defences.
The basic concept of training is nothing other than a continuous process of adaptation to ever-increasing training stimuli. What improves is not only the specific physiological and athletic qualities targeted by the sport we practise, but also all the body's physiological systems, almost as if we were dealing with an extremely powerful medicine that knows no limits in terms of positive effects and at the same time has few or no side effects. In the specific case of our immune defences, physical activity stimulates all the immune systems, physical and biochemical, specific and non-specific, to varying degrees depending on the type of effort we ask of our body.
In general, any type of sport that involves an increase, even a modest one, in heart rate, an increase in breathing rate and some muscle contraction against resistance can have tangible positive effects on the mechanisms that neutralise free radical molecules, and improves vascularisation and with it the functioning of the body's natural barriers.
Increased respiratory activity and greater airway patency stimulate continuous cell renewal on the surface of the mucous membranes, improving the ability of cilia and mucus to prevent pathogens from entering and settling in these airways.
Training the heart and the cardiovascular system also has beneficial effects on the non-specific response: a body that already has an engine, namely the heart, capable of working at low revs under normal conditions, will respond effectively when physiological demands increase, whether for physical effort or to speed up the delivery of nutrients and the removal of toxins.
At cellular level, sport can improve the body's response to the chemical mediators of inflammation and, as a result, reduce or even prevent the cascade of biochemical events that activate specific cellular immune responses.
Yes, but which sport?
There is no single sport that is good for the health of our immune system while others are not. Combining a good aerobic base, at least 3 or 4 times a week for a minimum of 40 minutes, with some strength exercises against resistance a couple of times every 7 to 10 days, can be the winning formula regardless of the specific sport you practise. This mix will allow the body to work not only on its organic foundations but also on the muscular side, creating a variety of adaptations and cellular stimuli.
Without a doubt, however, rest and recovery are just as important as training. Without a proper alternation of work phases and recovery phases, the immune system can also be put under strain, wiping out all the benefits gained in training sessions. During an adequate number of hours of rest, in fact (at least a few hours between two moderate training sessions, up to 2 or 3 days between intense sessions), our body sets its adaptation bar a little higher than the previous level, internalising the changes brought about by its response to the training stimuli. Without this rest, the inflammatory state generated by physical activity could persist over time, causing more harm than good; in this case, the chemical mediators of inflammation would contribute to creating more and more free radicals instead of deactivating them, stimulating the cells of the immune system continuously and unnecessarily. Our body would then be even more exposed to the harmful effects of sudden temperature changes, toxins, bacteria or viruses, triggering responses even to minor stimuli.
As always, the right balance is necessary and, as already mentioned, it is advisable to rely on a complete, balanced eating plan and precise, effective supplementation, especially when training loads become more intense.
A generally healthy lifestyle and a varied, balanced diet are not the only things that matter for the health of our immune system. Training, training often and training well can be decisive in improving our physiological responses to external pathogens. On the other hand, training too much or training in a disorganised way can sometimes have counterproductive effects on our defences.
The basic concept of training is nothing other than a continuous process of adaptation to ever-increasing training stimuli. What improves is not only the specific physiological and athletic qualities targeted by the sport we practise, but also all the body's physiological systems, almost as if we were dealing with an extremely powerful medicine that knows no limits in terms of positive effects and at the same time has few or no side effects. In the specific case of our immune defences, physical activity stimulates all the immune systems, physical and biochemical, specific and non-specific, to varying degrees depending on the type of effort we ask of our body.
In general, any type of sport that involves an increase, even a modest one, in heart rate, an increase in breathing rate and some muscle contraction against resistance can have tangible positive effects on the mechanisms that neutralise free radical molecules, and improves vascularisation and with it the functioning of the body's natural barriers.
Increased respiratory activity and greater airway patency stimulate continuous cell renewal on the surface of the mucous membranes, improving the ability of cilia and mucus to prevent pathogens from entering and settling in these airways.
Training the heart and the cardiovascular system also has beneficial effects on the non-specific response: a body that already has an engine, namely the heart, capable of working at low revs under normal conditions, will respond effectively when physiological demands increase, whether for physical effort or to speed up the delivery of nutrients and the removal of toxins.
At cellular level, sport can improve the body's response to the chemical mediators of inflammation and, as a result, reduce or even prevent the cascade of biochemical events that activate specific cellular immune responses.
Yes, but which sport?
There is no single sport that is good for the health of our immune system while others are not. Combining a good aerobic base, at least 3 or 4 times a week for a minimum of 40 minutes, with some strength exercises against resistance a couple of times every 7 to 10 days, can be the winning formula regardless of the specific sport you practise. This mix will allow the body to work not only on its organic foundations but also on the muscular side, creating a variety of adaptations and cellular stimuli.
Without a doubt, however, rest and recovery are just as important as training. Without a proper alternation of work phases and recovery phases, the immune system can also be put under strain, wiping out all the benefits gained in training sessions. During an adequate number of hours of rest, in fact (at least a few hours between two moderate training sessions, up to 2 or 3 days between intense sessions), our body sets its adaptation bar a little higher than the previous level, internalising the changes brought about by its response to the training stimuli. Without this rest, the inflammatory state generated by physical activity could persist over time, causing more harm than good; in this case, the chemical mediators of inflammation would contribute to creating more and more free radicals instead of deactivating them, stimulating the cells of the immune system continuously and unnecessarily. Our body would then be even more exposed to the harmful effects of sudden temperature changes, toxins, bacteria or viruses, triggering responses even to minor stimuli.
As always, the right balance is necessary and, as already mentioned, it is advisable to rely on a complete, balanced eating plan and precise, effective supplementation, especially when training loads become more intense.
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