Overview of the epidemiology of exercise immunology

Abstract

SummaryThe application of epidemiological methods to exercise immunology is reviewed briefly, with particular reference to the possible influences of physical activity, exercise and training on susceptibility to upper respiratory infections. Available reports are arbitrarily rated in terms of limiting factors: the quality of the assessment of physical activity, the precision of diagnosis of upper respiratory infection and overall methodology. The pattern of physical activity has often been clearly established but, in part because of the problems associated with the competitive environment, assessments of infection and overall methodology have often been less than optimal. Although there is some evidence that susceptibility to infection is increased by either a single bout of very heavy activity or a period of heavy training, reports are far from unanimous, and in certain respects fail to meet the classical epidemiological criteria of a causal relationship. The issue is important to both the health and the success of the international competitor, and merits definitive investigation, using optimal methods to assess both activity patterns and infection.

Sepsis and mechanisms of inflammatory response: is exercise a good model?

“…The development of neoplasms has been ascertained with reasonable certainty, often by post mortem analysis, but the diagnosis of respiratory infection has commonly rested on the responses to simple questionnaires rather than clear proof of infection. 15 The general conclusion from such research has been that prolonged and vigorous exercise is needed to suppress immune function. 38 For example, the incidence of infection was increased by running a marathon course, but not by running over shorter distances, and the increase in risk was greatest in those who ran at the greatest speeds.…”

Flight performance of western sandpipers Calidris mauri remains uncompromised when mounting an acute phase immune response

“…In addition, performing strenuous exercise may in turn affect immune defences, potentially making organisms more susceptible to infection. This is particularly well documented in humans through the biomedical discipline of exercise immunology (Shephard, 2010): human athletes often experience reduced immune function during strenuous exercise (Harper Smith et al, 2011;Walsh et al, 2011). Likewise, a recent study on European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, showed a negative relationship between strenuous exercise and immune function.…”

The Role of Salivary Immunoglobulin a in the Prevention of the Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Athletes – An Overview

“…First studies on that subject were conducted on Russian athletes in 1988 by Levando et al [27] and since then the number of reports gradually increased [52] but no unequivocal relationship could be found so far. Apart from the reported presence or absence of the relationship between concentration of sIgA and URTI [19,20], the effects other factors like the secretion rate of sIgA [15] or the proportions of its subclasses [18] were suggested.…”