Working out strenuously has many benefits, and scientists have just discovered yet another.
Vaccines, it turns out, are more effective in fit people who regularly participate in high intensity training like we do at Peak Zone Fitness.
Researchers at Saarland University in Germany studied the impact of a flu vaccine on elite athletes and on control subjects.
They discovered that the athletes generated almost twice as many virus-fighting T-cells after vaccination as the control subjects.
The gain in neutralizing antibodies was also stronger in the athletes.
These findings were published in January, 2020 in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, the official journal of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society.
The volunteers ranged from marathon runners to badminton players and power hammer throwers. They were tested during their competitive seasons at intervals of one, two and 26 weeks after vaccination.
Before the study, the scientists weren’t sure whether intense physical training would impede the immune response or accelerate it.
It’s flu-shot season, and a vaccine for COVID-19 will hopefully be on tap soon. Keep up your workouts to ensure you get the most benefit from your vaccines and stay healthy.