Can a workout before the corona vaccination possibly improve its effect? Or is it not advisable? Recent well-researched studies on other vaccines have a very clear answer to this question.
For some who are vaccinated against Covid-19, the question arises: Can I do sports before the corona vaccination? Is it perhaps even useful or could it even negatively affect the protective effect? Thoughts that are valid. Fortunately, the connection between training and vaccines has been well studied in the past.
Immune Response and Sport
Anyone who moves regularly – from a leisurely walk to strength training – is known to have a stronger immune system. A relatively new US study from 2020 with 50,000 subjects also came to the conclusion: People who do not exercise at all are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized than people who are active for at least 150 minutes a week.1 It is also 2.5 times more likely that non-workers die as a result of an infection. A good immune response and exercise are therefore closely related.
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Prolonged vaccination protection through regular exercise?
Another study from 2020 showed that top athletes had significantly more anti-influenza immune cells than other healthy adults after a flu shot investigation revealed. This showed that older, exercise-loving adults had a much higher antibody response to the flu vaccine than healthy adults who did not exercise. The Finding: Consistent training not only improves protection, it also appears to prolong it.3
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Trained muscle may be better at “pulling” vaccine into the cells
With more immune cells in the body – which is the case thanks to sufficient exercise – there is also more «to do» for the vaccine. Muscle movements act like additional helpers. «If you train the muscles that you’re going to get the vaccine into, those immune signals will unleash them, potentially pulling it into cells more effectively,» Australian sports medicine doctor Rob Newton is quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald. Therefore, the advantages of doing sport before the corona vaccination are obvious to him. His tip: light exercise for an hour and after vaccination achieves the best effects. On the following day, however, you should give your body a break.
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Is it advisable to exercise before the corona vaccination?
Of course, it has not yet been possible to prove whether sport before the corona vaccination leads to similarly positive results as with the flu vaccination. According to Newton, it can be assumed: “Even corona vaccines still require the involvement of the immune system and the activation of immune cells. And exercise ensures that these are better distributed.” He himself will keep it that way: “I already train regularly and when it’s my turn, I will do sports before my appointment.”
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Conclusion
It can be assumed that relaxed sport or light exercise supports the corona vaccine in its «work» in the body just as well as the flu vaccine. However, intensive strength training should be avoided, as this causes (intended) micro-lesions in the muscles. The immune system is then also busy repairing it and there is a corresponding lack of capacity for the vaccine. Long, hard endurance units should also not be done at least one day before, as the high level of exertion and the aforementioned muscle lesions can lead to immunosuppression three hours to three days after the training unit. The immune system is then busy “repairing the training damage” and is only available to a lesser extent for other things. During this time you are also more susceptible to infections.
Before the vaccination, you should only do casual sport or light exercise training so that the blood circulation and metabolism are increased and the immune system can work better. The question of whether sport before the corona vaccination is a good idea can therefore be answered with a clear yes, as long as it is moderate training.
Sources
- 1. Sallis R, Young DR, Tartof SY, et al: Physical inactivity is associated with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes: a study in 48,440 adult patients. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 13 April 2021. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2021-104080
- 2. Ledo A, Schub D, Ziller C, Enders M, Stenger T, Gärtner BC, Schmidt T, Meyer T, Sester M. Elite athletes on regular training show more pronounced induction of vaccine-specific T-cells and antibodies after tetravalent influenza vaccination than controls. Brain Behavior Immune. 2020 Jan;83:135-145. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.09.024. Epub 2019 Sep 30. PMID: 31580932.
- 3. de Araújo AL, Silva LC, Fernandes JR, Matias Mde S, Boas LS, Machado CM, Garcez-Leme LE, Benard G. Elderly men with moderate and intense training lifestyle present sustained higher antibody responses to influenza vaccine. Age (Dordr). 2015 Dec;37(6):105. doi: 10.1007/s11357-015-9843-4. Epub 2015 Oct 19. PMID: 26480853; PMCID: PMC5005841.