TY - JOUR
T1 - Exercise and immune function
T2 - Effect of ageing and nutrition
AU - Pedersen, Bente Klarlund
AU - Bruunsgaard, Helle
AU - Jensen, Marianne
AU - Krzywkowski, Karen
AU - Ostrowski, Kenneth
N1 - Funding Information:
The work was supported by The National Research Foundation grant no. 504–14.
PY - 1999/8
Y1 - 1999/8
N2 - Strenuous exercise is followed by lymphopenia, neutrophilia, impaired natural immunity, decreased lymphocyte proliferative responses to mitogens, a low level of secretory immunoglobulin A in saliva, but high circulating levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. These exercise-induced immune changes may provide the physiological basis of altered resistance to infections. The mechanisms underlying exercise-induced immune changes are multifactorial and include neuroendocrinological and metabolic mechanisms. Nutritional supplementation with glutamine abolishes the exercise-induced decline in plasma glutamine, but does not influence post-exercise immune impairment. However, carbohydrate loading diminishes most exercise effects of cytokines, lymphocyte and neutrophils. The diminished neutrophilia and elastase (EC 3.4.21.37) responses to eccentric exercise in elderly subjects were enhanced to levels comparable with those of young subjects by fish oil or vitamin E supplements. However, although vitamin C supplementation may diminish the risk of contracting an infection after strenuous exercise, it is not obvious that this effect is linked to an effect of vitamin C on exercise- induced immune changes. In conclusion, it is premature to make recommendations regarding nutritional supplementation to avoid post-exercise impairment of the immune system.
AB - Strenuous exercise is followed by lymphopenia, neutrophilia, impaired natural immunity, decreased lymphocyte proliferative responses to mitogens, a low level of secretory immunoglobulin A in saliva, but high circulating levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. These exercise-induced immune changes may provide the physiological basis of altered resistance to infections. The mechanisms underlying exercise-induced immune changes are multifactorial and include neuroendocrinological and metabolic mechanisms. Nutritional supplementation with glutamine abolishes the exercise-induced decline in plasma glutamine, but does not influence post-exercise immune impairment. However, carbohydrate loading diminishes most exercise effects of cytokines, lymphocyte and neutrophils. The diminished neutrophilia and elastase (EC 3.4.21.37) responses to eccentric exercise in elderly subjects were enhanced to levels comparable with those of young subjects by fish oil or vitamin E supplements. However, although vitamin C supplementation may diminish the risk of contracting an infection after strenuous exercise, it is not obvious that this effect is linked to an effect of vitamin C on exercise- induced immune changes. In conclusion, it is premature to make recommendations regarding nutritional supplementation to avoid post-exercise impairment of the immune system.
KW - Exercise
KW - Immune function
KW - Lymphocytes
KW - Training
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032705855&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0029665199000968
DO - 10.1017/S0029665199000968
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 10604210
AN - SCOPUS:0032705855
SN - 0029-6651
VL - 58
SP - 733
EP - 742
JO - Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
JF - Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
IS - 3
ER -