Your immune system is your body’s natural defense against bacteria and viruses. It protects your body by working to neutralize these threats when they enter your system. When you’re active, you can increase the level of immune cells circulating in your blood through increased production of white blood cells. This means a more effective system for fighting off invaders and viruses. Here are some ways that regular exercise can help boost your immune system.
What is the immune system?
The immune system is made up of cells in your blood that protect you from invaders and viruses. When you’re active, the level of white blood cells circulating in your blood increases. These white blood cells help fight off invaders and viruses.
To be effective, the immune system needs to be stimulated by appropriate levels of both macrophages and lymphocytes. The macrophages are responsible for identifying an invader or virus and then attracting help from the lymphocytes to eliminate it. Lymphocytes are special types of white blood cells that help destroy bacteria and viruses by releasing a chemical called lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK).
How exercise boosts your immune system
Exercising regularly helps to increase the production of white blood cells. The increased number of white blood cells can help fight off invaders and viruses in your body. If you’re exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, it’s likely that you’ll have a lower risk of getting sick than someone who exercises less or not at all.
Ways to boost your immune system
1. Exercise boosts your immune system’s production of white blood cells.
2. Exercise stimulates B- and T-lymphocytes, which help fight off viruses, bacteria, and infections.
3. Exercise can decrease the risk of cancer cells by reducing levels of interleukin-6 in the body.
4. Exercise increases heart rate and blood pressure which can increase oxygen intake to the body’s cells, thus improving their ability to function properly.
5. Regular exercise helps clear toxins from the body by increasing the production of digestive enzymes in saliva and bile acid in your gallbladder, as well as decreasing inflammation throughout the body.
Immune cells and their function.
Your immune system consists of two parts- the innate and adaptive immune systems. The innate immune system is your first line of defense against invading pathogens or foreign substances. It works by recognizing the chemical composition of a pathogen, triggering a process to eliminate it. The adaptive immunity system is your next line of defense and has both cell-specific and nonspecific components. It plays a key role in both acute (when the invader doesn’t have time to develop) and chronic disease prevention. The cells that form the adaptive immunity are called T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, and phagocytes.