Question

Exercise seems to benefit the immune system of persons engaged in regular, aerobic activity except:

Group of answer choices

persons participating in a recreational soccer league.

persons walking 2-3 miles at a moderate pace.

marathon runners or other endurance athletes.

women participating in a stationary cycling class that lasts 60 minutes

Answer 1

Exercise seems to benefit the immune system of persons engaged in regular, aerobic activity except:

Marathon runners or other endurance athletes.

Exercise, in general is thought to be beneficial for our health and immunity. However in individuals undergoing intense exercising and endurance training for a long time can actually have a weakened immune system. Prolonged intense exercising can cause immunodepression. Studies have found that after running a marathon, runners have a greater tendency to develop upper respiratory tract infection than the general population. Cellular immune response system is also considerably weakened in endurance athletes. High intensity exercising for a prolonged period of time without intake of food creates a scarcity of vital macronutrients in blood, especially carbohydrates. In absence of enough energy, immune system cannot function as efficiently, and therefore, immune system is weakened in endurance athletes. Thus, they are the one group of people that do not benefit their immune system from regular aerobic activity.

Exercise does improve immunity in the following group of people:

Person participating in a recreational soccer league.

In a recreational soccer league, the intensity of exercise would be moderate as compared to that of professional leagues. Thus participating in a recreational soccer league means that the person regularly undertakes moderate bouts of exercise. As research suggests, illness risk and regular moderate exercise are inversely related. Regular exercise improves the circulation of WBCs or lymphocytes in the body, which is responsible for defending our body against pathogens. Also, regular exercising reduces the risk of upper respiratory tract infection. Thus, participating in a recreational soccer league can boost one's immunity.

Person walking 2 -3 miles at a moderate pace.

Regularly walking a few miles in a moderate pace also counts as a moderate exercise and hence improves blood circulation and boosts immunity by improving the circulation of lymphocytes in blood and to different organs. Moderate regular exercising improves immunity and this has been showed by several studies. In addition to that, regular walking causes the secretion of serotonin which improves sleep pattern and overall health of a person. Thus a person who walks 2 - 3 miles regularly at a moderate pace would have better immunity,

Women participating in a stationary cycling class that last 60 mintues.

Regular cycling have immense health benefits. Research have found that regular cycling increase the secretion of T lymphocytes from the thymus. In addition to that it slows aging in those individuals that cycle regularly. It improves blood circulation and therefore improves the circulation of B and T lymphocytes responsible for our body's immunity. Thus, a short cycling class of 60 minutes can help boost immunity in the participating women.