Exercise Wears Down Flu Symptoms
Researchers have found one more reason that exercise is good for you: Moderate daily workouts appear to lessen the severity of flu symptoms and even help keep the flu at bay in mice.
Scientists at Iowa State University found mice that regularly ran on a treadmill over a 3 1/2 month period developed less severe symptoms from the flu virus and had less influenza and lower levels of inflammation factors in their lings than those that were not subjected to exercise. Findings appeared in the Nov. 1 print issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
“Perhaps the moderate stress from repeated exposure to moderate exercise might then improve your ability to respond to other stressed, such as influenza,” says Marian Kohut, associate professor of kinesiology at Iowa State and the study’s lead researcher. “We’re continuing to try and find out if that’s true, then what are the mechanisms?”
Iowa State University
Oregonian Article from Wednesday November 4th, 2009
