If people exercised around the time they got their flu shot, they would have higher levels of their immune system.

Health 15 June 2022

The person is Grace Wade.

A woman lifting two 15-pound dumbbells.

The vaccine can be more effective if you exercise before it.

EyeEm courtesy of Jordan Vanderzalm.

People who work out around the time of their flu shot are more likely to get the vaccine. If the muscles are trained to get jabbed, the benefit is even greater.

The data was collected from seven trials to see how exercise affects the immune response to flu vaccine. 382 people exercised for 15 to 50 minutes before or after they received their flu shot. For an equal amount of time, the other 168 were inactive. The researchers collected their blood samples after the inoculation.

The participants engaged in 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity a week. The group had a better immune response to the vaccine than the inactive group. If they exercised around the time of the vaccine, their antibody levels were higher than those who didn't. If the flu shot targets the H1 strain, then this is true. People who were usually inactive did not benefit from exercise.

Read more: The immune system: How to boost it and lower your immune age

"If you are a physically active, not obese person, we know from many studies that your vaccine response is better if you are physically active."

In this case, vaccines, exercise spurs immune cells to circulate in the bloodstream, where they can better respond to pathogens. Consistency in physical activity is important for a robust immune response.

Those who did upper body resistance training had higher levels of antibody than those who did other exercise. Training the muscles near the injection site may improve the immune response.

The adaptive immune response is activated by muscle damage from exercise.

The journal's title is "Posy One" and it can be found on the website.

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