In a new study from Iowa State University, researchers found people who cycled on a stationary bike or took a brisk walk for an hour-and-a-half after getting a COVID-19 vaccine or flu vaccine produced more antibodies in the following four weeks compared to participants who sat or continued with their daily routine post-immunization.
The finding suggests a specific amount of time can enhance the body’s antibody response to the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine and vaccines for influenza.
Antibodies are essentially the body’s “search and destroy” line of defense against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites.
Vaccines help the immune system learn how to identify something foreign and respond by bolstering the body’s defenses, including an increase in antibodies.
In the study, nearly half of the participants in the experiment had a BMI in the overweight or obese category.
During 90 minutes of exercise, they focused on maintaining a pace that kept their heart rate around 120–140 beats per minute rather than distance.
The researchers also tested whether participants could get the same bump in antibodies with just 45-minutes of exercising. They found the shorter workout did not increase the participants’ antibody levels.
The research team may test whether 60 minutes is enough to generate a response in a follow-up study.
As to why prolonged, mild- to moderate-intensity exercise could improve the body’s immune response, Kohut says there may be multiple reasons.
Working out increases blood and lymph flow, which helps circulate immune cells. As these cells move around the body, they’re more likely to detect something that’s foreign.
Data from the mouse experiment also suggested a type of protein (i.e., interferon alpha) produced during exercise helps generate virus-specific antibodies and T- cells.
If you care about antibodies, please read studies that common cold coronaviruses hinder antibody immune response to COVID infection, and what you need to know about the latest antibody COVID-19 therapies.
For more information about Covid, please see recent studies about a low-cost drug that can treat COVID-19, and results showing Ivermectin prescriptions for COVID-19: Insurance coverage doesn’t match the evidence.
The study is published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and was conducted by Marian Kohut et al.
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