The role of sports and exercise in allergic disease: drawbacks and benefits

Abstract

Although training and exercise have several benefits, overdoing it might not necessarily be a good thing. For instance, elite athletes have an increased risk for asthma and allergy. Several mechanisms can be implicated for this risk, which include the interplay between environmental training factors and athlete's personal risk factors, such as genetic susceptibility, neurogenic-mediated inflammation, and epithelial sensitivity. However, an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence shows the positive effects of sports as part of a healthy lifestyle. Training reduces breathlessness and asthma symptoms and attenuates Th2-mediated inflammatory responses. Taken together, the benefits far outweigh the potential hazards of training. An easily administered therapeutic healthy lifestyle intervention, which could be used alongside current treatment, must be developed.

Aerobic Exercise Reduces Asthma Phenotype by Modulation of the Leukotriene Pathway

“…This inhibitory effect of AE on AHR may be attributed to the extended or “chronic” exercise routine to which mice in this study were subjected to previous studies demonstrated that while single bouts of AE did not inhibit AHR ( 30 ), repeated bouts did ( 29 ). These experimental findings are confirmed by a recent study showing that chronic AE may inhibit AHR ( 14 , 18 , 26 – 29 ).…”

“…A growing number of both clinical and animal studies have demonstrated that the beneficial effects of AE on asthmatic phenotypes include anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects as well as the inhibition of AHR ( 3 , 16 , 18 – 20 , 24 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 32 ), NF-κB inhibition ( 20 , 29 , 31 , 32 ), Th2 immune response inhibition ( 16 , 20 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 32 ), increased number of T-regulatory cells ( 15 , 25 ), increased endogenous glucocorticoids production, and increased glucocorticoids receptor expression in the lungs ( 14 , 18 ). In agreement with these studies, this study showed that in the context of OVA, moderate AE inhibited eosinophilic inflammation, as demonstrated through reduced number of eosinophils in BAL and in the airway walls, as well as the Th2 immune response, as IL-5 and IL-13 levels were reduced in BAL.…”

“…Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs), LTC 4 , LTD 4 , and LTE 4 are the most important mediators involved in EIB ( 10 , 11 ). However, a growing number of studies performed in animal models of asthma ( 12 – 17 ) as well as in the clinic ( 18 – 21 ) have demonstrated that in contrast to high-intensity aerobic exercise (AE), low- to moderate-intensity AE, significantly reduces flare-ups and leads to increased quality of life.…”

Immune and Inflammatory Response in Atopic Elite Endurance Athletes

“…There is a growing number of studies demonstrating that elite athletes have an increased risk for allergies, atopy and related symptoms, especially athletes who participate in endurance sports [3,4,26]. It has been hypothesized that this increase occurs because endurance training requires a high ventilation rate, which, when combined with increased exposure to environmental factors such as allergens and pollutants, in turn makes these athletes more vulnerable [22]. Moreover, it has already been demonstrated that atopic athletes are more likely to present exercise-induced bron-Teixeira RenataNakata et al Immune and Inflammatory Response … Int J Sports Med 2018; 00: 00-00…”

Swimming pool exposure is associated with autonomic changes and increased airway reactivity to a beta-2 agonist in school aged children: A cross-sectional survey

“…Neurogenic inflammation has been suggested to contribute to the recognized higher prevalence of asthma in athletes training and competing in environments with a high airway irritation potential [ 31 ]. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 is the centre of almost all neuronal inflammatory signalling pathways; this ion-channel is often co-localized with sensory neuropeptides in the same axon of a primary neuron and its stimulation can lead to the release of these substances.…”