Exercise and social activity influence influenza vaccine effectiveness.

2002 DEC 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Influenza vaccination generated a stronger immune response in elderly adults who maintained high levels of physical and social activity than in adults who were sedentary or less social.

"Decreases in immune responsiveness with age contribute to the increased incidence and severity of infectious disease among elderly adults," commented Marian L. Kohut and colleagues at Iowa State University. "Lifestyle factors (exercise, diet) have been established to play an important role in immunosenescence, and the practice of 'healthy' behavior may minimize the age-associated decline of immune function."

The investigators categorized adults who were at least 62 years old according to physical activity level. The active group engaged in vigorous physical activity for at least 20 minutes three or more times weekly. The moderately active group exercised regularly but at a lower intensity, duration, and/or frequency than the subjects in the active group. Adults in the sedentary group did not engage in any regular exercise. The level of immune response in the subjects was determined 2 weeks after influenza vaccination.

Antigen-specific IgG and IgM antibody responses after immunization were greater in the adults who remained active than in those in the moderately active and sedentary groups. Adults in the sedentary group exhibited the lowest level of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) (Exercise and psychosocial factors modulate immunity to influenza vaccine in elderly individuals. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 2002;57(9):M557-M562).