Flu risk 'cut by vigorous exercise'

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-26581722


Running is one form of potentially "flu-beating" exercise

Doing at least two and a half hours of vigorous exercise each week cuts the chance of developing flu, new data suggests.

Around 4,800 people took part in this year's online Flu Survey, run by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Moderate exercise did not appear to have a protective effect, the researchers said.

Overall, flu rates have been relatively low this winter.

[SheilaT]

1. Perhaps those who exercise

vigorously are also healthier overall and therefore more resistant to flu in the first place.

These are really the kinds of studies that while interesting, never strike me as particularly useful. Yes, most of us should be exercising more. Yes, we shouldn't be overweight, and certainly not obese. None of us should smoke. We should all wear our seatbelts.

I do know, going back to this study, that moderate exercise is at least as beneficial as lots of exercise. Something like walking briskly for half an hour three times a week is as good as running several miles every day, which makes the "Let's all run several miles every day and then ride a bike up Mount Everest" folks a little crazy, because they want to believe that what they do is vastly better.

If someone wants to do those things, great!. Do it. But don't make the leap that the rest of us need to be doing the extreme also.

[Warpy]

2. Yes, this looks like another cart vs. horse "study."

During the Tudor period when the waves of "sweating sickness" spread over England, the prevailing wisdom was that vigorous exercise every day would prevent it. In fact, it was more a disease of the upper class than the lower, although vulnerable people in the lower class did die of it. The heavy, physically demanding work expected of the lower classes did seem to prevent it, although their poor diets would seem to make them more vulnerable, not less.

[JimDandy]

3. And what is their definition of vigorous exercise?

All the article listed was: "...running, fast cycling"

[tridim]

4. Not sure I buy this...

Only because it ignores the higher quality diet one must eat to be able to maintain vigorous exercise.

IMO low fat/high sugar diets (and the lack of exercise that follows) are the primary cause of weak immune systems.

[SheilaT]

6. Hadn't even thought about that.

Thanks.

[flamingdem]

5. except that..

.. it's not a great idea to go to the gym if you want to avoid germs!

[LeftishBrit]

7. Perhaps healthier people take more vigorous exercise and are also more immune to the flu?

Or perhaps people, who spend a lot of time outdoors, catch fewer infections than people who spend a lot of time in enclosed places with other people and their germs?