https://cbass.com/faq17.htm This Q and A appears in the July 2024 Ask The Doctor column of Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. Editor in Chief of the Harvard Health Letter. Q. My friend, a fitness nut, tells me that regular exercise protects me against COVID and other illnesses. Since I'm terrified of infections, that might just finally get me to exercise regularly. Is she right? A: Well, get yourself some gym clothes and walking shoes, because your friend almost surely is right. There have not been a lot of studies conducted to see if exercise protects against infections, but there have been a few, and they all point in the same direction. The largest study which was conducted here at Harvard Medical School, was published in JAMA Network Open in February of 2024. The study included nearly 62,000 people ages 45 or older. They were followed from before the start of the COVID pandemic (in early 2020) through the end of 2022. Information was collected about many factors that could affect a person's vulnerability to infection, such as chronic illnesses, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle factors. The study also tracked the people who got COVID and how seriously ill they were with COVID. * * * Dr. Komaroff tell us that regular exercise keeps the immune system from overreacting to infections and waging a battle that injures not just the invading germ but also the body itself. There's more but that gives us an idea of the the power of regular exercise. You and your friend should become training partners, benefiting from exercise in a way that your couch potato friends will never be able to do. The doctor closes with a statement that answers your query: You've heard it before in these pages: No pill ever invented protects your health as much as does regular exercise. As I've written here numerous times, my mother, a registered nurse, complained that I thought that exercise was the cure for everything. Good to know that Dr. Komaroff validates my view of exercise, explaining it in a way that I will never be able to do. Stick with the exercises you enjoy and you'll be ahead of the game. You'll be protecting yourself from illnesses by doing exercises you enjoy. That's what I do and recommend. While you won't be protecting against any and all illnesses, you can expect to combat illnesses in a way those who don't exercise cannot. Keep moving and stay healthy and happy.
While also being a big proponent of regular exercise I'd have to add good diet to the mix. And by "good" I don't mean the food pyramid introduced in 1992 by the USDA.
Not to derail,but I believe anecdotally that sweating is perhaps the key,regardless of aerobic. The sauna is the best tool Ive brought to my regime,alongside 2 litres of water upon waking:something similar to Chinese(Japanese?)water therapy.
I had read that raising your body temperature strengthens your immune system. Saunas and steam rooms are good for thst. But I don’t think it competes with exercisings benefits.
Didn't know that, although I know the body raises its temperature to fight pathogens. In any event, I prefer working out in colder temperatures. In winter, I work out in shorts with the window open. Just a personal preference.
i think the idea of a steam room or sauna is not related to a body temperature rise you could get from any appropriate physical activity.
One other point ─ essential in an exercise thread ─ is something I mentioned a few months ago that you can't out-exercise an unhealthy diet. Meaning if your diet sucks (too much sugar, seed oils, carbs, and not enough protein or animal fat) then exercising, while certainly better than not, won't make up for the harm caused by a poor diet.