Exercise Immunology

Exercise immunology is an important, emerging sub-discipline within exercise physiology, concerned with the relationship between exercise, immune function and infection risk. This book offers a comprehensive, up-to-date and evidence-based introduction to exercise immunology, including the physiological and molecular mechanisms that determine immune function and the implications for health and performance in sport and everyday life. Written by a team of leading exercise physiologists, the book describes the characteristics of the immune system and how its components are organised to form an immune response. It explains the physiological basis of the relationship between stress, physical activity, immune function and infection risk, and identifies the ways in which exercise and nutrition interact with immune function in athletes and non-athletes. The book shows students how to evaluate the strengths and limitations of the evidence linking physical activity, immune system integrity and health, and explains why exercise is associated with anti-inflammatory effects that are potentially beneficial to long-term health. Every chapter includes useful features, such as clear summaries, definitions of key terms, discussions of seminal research studies and practical guidelines for athletes on ways to minimise infection risk, with additional learning resources available on a companion website. This is an essential textbook for any course on exercise immunology or advanced exercise physiology.

Exercise immunology is an important, emerging sub-discipline within exercise physiology, concerned with the relationship between exercise, immune function and infection risk. This book offers a comprehensive, up-to-date and evidence-based introduction to exercise immunology, including the physiological and molecular mechanisms that determine immune function and the implications for health and performance in sport and everyday life. Written by a team of leading exercise physiologists, the book describes the characteristics of the immune system and how its components are organised to form an immune response. It explains the physiological basis of the relationship between stress, physical activity, immune function and infection risk, and identifies the ways in which exercise and nutrition interact with immune function in athletes and non-athletes. The book shows students how to evaluate the strengths and limitations of the evidence linking physical activity, immune system integrity and health, and explains why exercise is associated with anti-inflammatory effects that are potentially beneficial to long-term health. Every chapter includes useful features, such as clear summaries, definitions of key terms, discussions of seminal research studies and practical guidelines for athletes on ways to minimise infection risk, with additional learning resources available on a companion website. This is an essential textbook for any course on exercise immunology or advanced exercise physiology.

You'll learn why athletes are susceptible to illness during intense training, how various immune system components respond to exercise, how regular exercise may influence disease progression - including cancer and HIV / AIDS - and whether exercise may help restore immune function in the aged and during spaceflight. Research efforts in the field of exercise immunology have expanded and intensified as more exercise scientists and health care professionals recognize the importance of this discipline. Advances in Exercise Immunology is the vital resource you need to keep abreast of this flourishing field of study.

Every aspect of immune function and host defense is dependent upon a proper supply and balance of nutrients. Severe malnutrition can cause significant alteration in immune response, but even subclinical deficits may be associated with an impaired immune response, and an increased risk of infection. Infectious diseases have accounted for more off-duty days during major wars than combat wounds or nonbattle injuries. Combined stressors may reduce the normal ability of soldiers to resist pathogens, increase their susceptibility to biological warfare agents, and reduce the effectiveness of vaccines intended to protect them. There is also a concern with the inappropriate use of dietary supplements. This book, one of a series, examines the impact of various types of stressors and the role of specific dietary nutrients in maintaining immune function of military personnel in the field. It reviews the impact of compromised nutrition status on immune function; the interaction of health, exercise, and stress (both physical and psychological) in immune function; and the role of nutritional supplements and newer biotechnology methods reported to enhance immune function. The first part of the book contains the committee's workshop summary and evaluation of ongoing research by Army scientists on immune status in special forces troops, responses to the Army's questions, conclusions, and recommendations. The rest of the book contains papers contributed by workshop speakers, grouped under such broad topics as an introduction to what is known about immune function, the assessment of immune function, the effect of nutrition, and the relation between the many and varied stresses encountered by military personnel and their effect on health.

Like an army of millions ready to defend its territory, the human immune system acts as the body's primary line of defense-a complex network of interacting cells that protects us from pathogens and other foreign substances. But many components of the immune system exhibit change after prolonged, heavy exertion, indicating that it is suppressed and

This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. Designed to help readers understand and evaluate the relationship between exercise, immune function and infection risk, this book presents evidence for the "J-shaped" relationship between exercise load and infection risk. It also describes the components of the human immune system and key functions that protect the body from disease, the impact of acute and chronic psychological stress on immune function, and practical guidelines for minimizing the risk of immunodepression and infection in athletes. Further chapters explore different ways of measuring immune function, as well as the effects of heavy training on innate and specific (acquired) immunity, exercise in environmental extremes, and nutrition. Connections between exercise, infection risk, and immune function in special populations (elderly, obese, diabetic and HIV patients) are also addressed. Authored by a team of highly experienced experts. The "J-shaped" relationship between exercise load and infection risk is described, backed by current research and evidence. Components of the immune system and normal immune function are explained in detail, as well as methods for measuring immune function. The impact of acute and chronic psychological stress on immune function is presented, along with suggestions for minimizing the risk of immunodepression and infection in athletes. The effects of heavy training, exercise in environmental extremes, and nutrition are discussed with regard to their impact on innate and specific (acquired) immunity. Immune function in special populations (elderly, obese, diabetic and HIV patients) is also addressed, exploring links between exercise and infection risk in these groups. Evidence-based coverage includes a list of references in each chapter, as well as suggestions for further reading that direct readers to important texts and review articles. Information is presented in an easily accessible format, following a logical progression of material. LEach chapter begins with a list of learning objectives and ends with a list of key points to reinforce learning. A glossary at the end of the book defines all key terms and abbreviations.

Maintaining optimal immune function is at the cornerstone of disease prevention and management. The realization that lifestyle factors such as exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress can be targeted to optimize immune function for the prevention and treatment of illness and disease has intensified among physicians and health care providers. Exercise immunology as a discipline came to the fore in the early 1990’s through formation of the International Society of Exercise and Immunology (ISEI). Since then, several major advances have been made including the understanding that: (i) physical activity is associated with fewer incidences and symptoms of infection; (ii) every bout of exercise facilitates the ongoing exchange of immune cells between the blood and tissues to increase immune surveillance; (iii) regular exercise lowers chronic low-grade inflammation and improves vaccine responses in the elderly; (iv) contracting skeletal muscle acts as an immune regulatory organ; (v) physical activity can improve immune markers in aging and multiple disease states (e.g. cancer, HIV, diabetes); (vi) exercise expedites infection resolution and restricts host-pathogen entry and dissemination.