Exercise is known for its immunity-boosting powers [1] (among all the other numerous benefits), but turns out, working out doesn't just help your immune system in a general way. According to a new study in humans and mice, you can actually harness the power of exercise to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines, including those for COVID-19 [2] and the flu [3]. How? It's simple but requires some effort: exercising for about 90 minutes after getting the shot.
The study, published this month in "Brain, Behavior, and Immunity [4]," looked at the immune responses of 70 people, each of whom received either a flu vaccine or their first COVID-19 shot [5]. The participants were separated into groups: one group was asked to exercise for 90 minutes at a light to moderate intensity, starting within 30 minutes after vaccination; one group (only of flu-shot participants) exercised for 45 minutes; and the third group was asked to sit quietly after the vaccination. For exercise, the participants rode a stationary bike [6] or walked outside [7] at a brisk pace, aiming for a heart-rate zone of 120–140 beats per minute. The researchers measured all participants' antibody levels before the vaccination and again two and four weeks afterward to see if there was a difference between the three groups.
The results showed that everyone's antibody levels rose within a month of vaccination but were highest in the participants in the 90-minute exercise group, a boost described as "statistically significant" by Marian Kohut, a professor of kinesiology and member of the Nanovaccine Institute at Iowa State who oversaw the study, in an interview with The New York Times [9]. The 45-minute exercise group did not experience an increase in antibodies, and the researchers also noted that exercise didn't seem to affect vaccine side effects [10]. From a followup experiment on mice who received a flu vaccine, researchers found that exercise-vaccine efficacy link had to do with a substance called interferon alpha, which is part of the body's response system to viral infections.
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Overall, the small study suggests that "adults who exercise regularly may increase antibody response" to flu or COVID vaccines with a "single session of light- to moderate-intensity exercise post-immunization," provided that you feel well enough afterward to do so. In the future, the researchers hope to study whether a 60-minute exercise session (slightly less intimidating than 90 minutes) can also provide an antibody benefit, the New York Times reported.
For now, though, know that exercise is a simple strategy that may make your COVID or flu vaccines more effective, if you have the time and access. And a fast-paced walk or bike ride can do it if you don't quite feel up to an intense HIIT workout [11].
