Exercise and Respiratory Tract Viral Infections

Abstract

Prolonged intense exercise causes immunosuppression, whereas moderate-intensity exercise improves immune function and potentially reduces risk and severity of respiratory viral infections. Here, based on available evidence, we present a model whereby moderate exercise-induced increases in stress hormones reduce excessive local inflammation and skew the immune response away from a T_H1 and toward a T_H2 phenotype, thus improving outcomes after respiratory viral infections.