Advice for patients
More research is needed to know exactly how long and how strenuously one needs to exercise to trigger these immune changes, Dr. Nakayasu said.
As shown by their lactate accumulation (an indicator of anaerobic metabolism), the firefighters in the study outpaced the average person’s aerobic respiratory capacity, meaning the average person doing moderate exercise likely wouldn’t trigger these changes.
“Regular moderate exercise is generally associated with better health outcomes [and] improved immune function,” said Dr. Mamoun. For those who exercise to the extreme, proper rest and recovery are “essential for maintaining a robust immune system,” Dr. Mamoun said.
And of course, you can encourage patients to get vaccinated. Young, healthy patients may assume they don’t need COVID-19 or flu shots, as indicated by a recent survey that found one-third of Americans feel they don’t need these vaccinations if they’re not high risk.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.