Current Advances in Exercise Immunology

Book excerpt: Maintaining optimal immune function is at the cornerstone of disease prevention and management. The realization that lifestyle factors such as exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress can be targeted to optimize immune function for the prevention and treatment of illness and disease has intensified among physicians and health care providers. Exercise immunology as a discipline came to the fore in the early 1990’s through formation of the International Society of Exercise and Immunology (ISEI). Since then, several major advances have been made including the understanding that: (i) physical activity is associated with fewer incidences and symptoms of infection; (ii) every bout of exercise facilitates the ongoing exchange of immune cells between the blood and tissues to increase immune surveillance; (iii) regular exercise lowers chronic low-grade inflammation and improves vaccine responses in the elderly; (iv) contracting skeletal muscle acts as an immune regulatory organ; (v) physical activity can improve immune markers in aging and multiple disease states (e.g. cancer, HIV, diabetes); (vi) exercise expedites infection resolution and restricts host-pathogen entry and dissemination.