An American study has shown a direct connection between regular physical activity and a better defense of our immune system.
More motivation to move with an American discovery about the connections between physical activity and the immune system, the body’s natural defenses. Here are the explanations of Géraldine Zamansky, journalist for Health Magazine on France 5 and at the weekend on franceinfo.
franceinfo: Would training your muscles trigger a special stimulation of our immunity?
Exactly. But I have to start with a little bad news and a somewhat complicated decoding. If we activate our muscle cells strongly, for example by walking briskly, this can lead to micro-damage. And this can result in “waste” due to intensive energy consumption. The appearance of inflammation is sometimes the body’s first response to eliminate and repair this damage. The good news is that an American team has discovered the very rapid emergence and action of little-known players in our immune defenses: cells capable of calming things down once the inflammatory reflex has played its role. .
Why is this regulatory discovery so important?
The researchers showed that the presence of these regulators is almost vital for muscles. This explains Professor Diane Mathis, who leads this work at Harvard Medical School. These “brakes” on inflammation then protect the motors of the muscle cells. If I take the example above, they are even able to produce more energy to go even faster. Without these protective shields, the team observes the opposite: engines deformed, weakened, as if they had drowned in inflammation.
So the positive cycle created by physical activity with the improvement of our muscular micromotor skills takes place under the high protection of our immune system?
Exactly. And for Professor Mathis, this decoding shows the extent to which physical activity is truly therapeutic, especially for older people. Because their muscles suffer from permanent inflammation. You would get rid of it through these calming cells, these “super regulators” that are triggered by physical activity. The result is a virtuous circle: better muscle condition, better balance, fewer falls, healthier life.
For further : the Harvard University study (in English).