Aging immunity and the impact of physical exercise

Abstract

Regular physical exercise is associated with increased longevity and a lower risk of developing several age-associated diseases. In addition, regular exercise has been purported as a simple lifestyle intervention to counteract the deleterious effects of age-associated changes in immunity known as immunosenescence. Etiology of immunosenescence is multifaceted and can impact on both arms of the immune system. Since 1990, several longitudinal ageing studies using aerobic- and/or resistance-based exercise provided growing information on the benefits of exercise in both innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Regular exercise can improve responses to vaccines, NK-cell function, neutrophil phagocytic activity, and T-cell proliferation. It also reduces circulatory inflammatory mediators and inflammatory response to bacterial challenge. These findings provide a strong indication that habitual exercise has immune regulatory properties and may help delay the onset of immunosenescence.