With the flu season rapidly approaching, many are concerned with
the limited supply of vaccine doses available. However, researchers
may have discovered an alternative method to avoiding the flu, thus
eliminating the common reliance of vaccines.
Through studies, researchers attempted to discover what could be
done in order to prevent illness and strengthen the immune system.
The answer: regular exercise.
As simple as it may sound, regular exercise is the key to staying
healthy. Using mature mice as their subjects, researchers studied
how exercise protected animals against infectious challenges, such
as influenza.
The Study:
- Male mice, ages 11-20 weeks, that were infected with influenza
- The mice were randomly assigned to exercise (EX) or remain in
home cage control (HCC)
- EX mice exercised moderately for 20-30 minutes a day for four
days
- Exercise was halted as soon as flu symptoms appeared. (This
was done to mirror sickness-related behavior in humans)
The Results:
- Survival rates of 20-week old EX mice were significantly higher
than HCC mice of the same age that did not exercise
- There was no significantly higher survival rate evident in mice
ages 11-16 weeks
- All EX mice had twice the survival rate of HCC mice
Researchers found that by exercising, mice were preventing death
resulting from the illness. Yet, while exercise protected mice from
mortality, researchers didn’t see any changes in the food intake
or cage activity.
Future studies involve testing mice that exercise on a regular
basis, rather than a mere few days. Researchers hope these studies
will shed light on other issues such as the possible development
of flu-specific immune cells.
Science
Blog October 7, 2004.
New
York Times October 17, 2004
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