participants in the control group sat quietly reading for 30 minutes
and then received the flu vaccine, also in their non-dominant arm.
All participants were contacted via phone two days later to enquire
about reactions to the vaccine (i.e. pain, redness, swelling or any
other symptoms or illness).
Results: None of the participants in either group had a severe
reaction; however, the control participants were significantly more
likely to experience a minor side effect (e.g. fever) than the exercise
group. Although exercise was shown to reduce the reaction to the
vaccine injection, it had no effect on the antibody responses or
development of flu-like symptoms at follow-up six months later.
Pros: This is a good, practical study with national and international
implications for exercise enthusiasts who participate in yearly
influenza vaccinations.
Fitness enthusiasts are advised to speak with their GP about
getting the flu vaccine and asking if exercise can precede, or follow,
the injection.
In a related study, Ranadive et al., (2014) investigated the effects
of a single bout of exercise (40 minutes of aerobic exercise at 55-
65% HR max) on the antibody response. They found that the women
in the study had a significantly higher antibody response (which is
advantageous), but this response was not replicated for the men.
Researchers at Iowa State University who conducted a pilot study on
the effects of exercise on the flu vaccine found that participants who
completed either a 90-minute run or bike ride after being vaccinated
had nearly double the antibody response, compared to volunteers
who sat for 90 minutes following administration of the vaccine.
Cons: As reported in the manuscript, there were some earlier studies
that did not detect any effect on influenza antibody levels from doing
exercise beforehand. This is still a fairly new field and one day it
may be possible that people are prescribed some form of exercise
with their influenza vaccine injection (pre- or post-injection). In the
meantime, readers are encouraged to remember that the concept of
deliberately exercising before or after an influenza vaccine is still an
experimental one (i.e. not extensively tested). Hopefully, researchers
will continue to conduct research on the effects of exercise on the
antibody response following influenza vaccination as well as effects
on related side effects.
REFERENCES
Bohn-Goldbaum, E., Pascoe, A., Faitarone Singh, M., Singh, N., Kok,
J., Dwyer, N., Mathieson, E., Booy, R., & Edwards, K. (2020). Brain,
Behavior, & Immunity - Health. 1:1-7.
Grohskopf, L., Alyanak, E., Broder, K., Walter, E., Fry, E., & Jernigan,
D. (2019). Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with
Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices — United States, 2019–20 Influenza
Season. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 68(RR3):1-21.
Ranadive, S., Cook, M., Kappus, R., Yan, H., Lane, A., Woods, J.,
Wilund, K., Iwamoto, G., Vanar, V., Tandon, R., & Fernhall, B. (2014).
Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Vaccine Efficacy in Older Adults.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 46(3): 455-461.
Vellozzi, C., Iqbal, S., & Broder, K. (2014). Guillain-Barre syndrome,
influenza, and influenza vaccination: the epidemiologic evidence.
Clinical Infectious Diseases. 58(8): 1149-1155.
Dr Mike Climstein, PhD FASMF
FACSM FAAESS AEP
Dr Climstein is one of Australia’s
leading Accredited Exercise
Physiologists. He is a faculty member
in Clinical Exercise Physiology, Sport
& Exercise Science at Southern Cross
University (Gold Coast).
Dr Joe Walsh, PhD
Joe is an exercise science
researcher. He has worked in
a number of large international
research teams with study findings
presented around the world. In
addition to working in the university
sector, he is a director of Fitness
Clinic Five Dock and Sport Science
Institute.
NETWORK AUTUMN 2020 | 23