Running and Your Immune System | How Exercise Affects Immune ...

“Within seconds of starting to exercise, your immune cells increase, double, triple, and some even increase tenfold,” Turner says. “We don’t dismiss the possibility that elite athletes are at greater risk [for illness], but that’s probably not because their immune systems are suppressed.”In a debate paper, published earlier this year in Exercise and Immunology Review, Turner and Campbell point out that while athletes participating in a large marathon, for example, might report higher levels of URI symptoms, these cases are often not confirmed with laboratory tests. People may think they have a cold when it’s actually allergies or other noninfectious issues that have similar symptoms, says infectious disease specialist Amesh Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.“What is now very clear is that it’s not exercise suppressing the immune system; it’s thousands of people taking part in a marathon and inhaling droplets, touching surfaces, and not eating or sleeping well,” Turner says. (Whether you feel like running is another story entirely.) And if you do run with a head cold, blow your nose into a tissue, and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze so you don’t get others sick, Jouhourian says.But we’re not under normal circumstances.“The problem with COVID-19 is that you might feel fine but have it, and then you’re infecting other people if you go out running,” Jouhourian says, emphasizing the importance of avoiding crowded roads, tracks, and trails.Turner recommends avoiding outdoor exercise if you have any symptoms right now.“Symptoms of a coronavirus infection are still so unknown,” he says. Sure, over the long term, running can bolster your immune system, but as it pertains to preventing the spread of this disease, nothing can replace the habits recommended by experts and health officials: “Maintain social distancing, wash your hands frequently, don’t touch your face or surfaces,” Adalja says.