Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative review
The total exercise workload is an important factor influencing immune health. Appropriately prescribed physical activity can mitigate the detrimental effects of chronic inflammation, bolster the body’s defenses against both infectious and non-infectious diseases, and decelerate the immunosenescence...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Immunology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1617261/full |
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| author | Xinxin Shi Lunuo Hu David C. Nieman Fei Li Fei Li Peijie Chen Peijie Chen Hui Shi Hui Shi Yue Shi Yue Shi |
| author_facet | Xinxin Shi Lunuo Hu David C. Nieman Fei Li Fei Li Peijie Chen Peijie Chen Hui Shi Hui Shi Yue Shi Yue Shi |
| author_sort | Xinxin Shi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The total exercise workload is an important factor influencing immune health. Appropriately prescribed physical activity can mitigate the detrimental effects of chronic inflammation, bolster the body’s defenses against both infectious and non-infectious diseases, and decelerate the immunosenescence process. Physiological and immune system responses to moderate and strenuous exercise workloads vary markedly. This narrative review summarizes current findings on the impacts of moderate-intensity exercise, high-intensity interval training, and strenuous and prolonged exercise on immune health, elucidating their specific effects and underlying mechanisms. Additionally, the role of challenging environmental conditions in shaping immune responses to exercise is also briefly considered. The insights presented here are intended to guide healthy individuals in selecting evidence-based exercise training protocols that are compatible with both health promotion and immune health. Moreover, this review offers prospective research directions, particularly regarding personalized exercise regimens and the interaction between exercise and environmental factors, providing valuable perspectives for scholars within the field of exercise immunology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-34d31a3ecd5d45cc8745da58e20946e1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-3224 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Immunology |
| spelling | doaj-art-34d31a3ecd5d45cc8745da58e20946e12025-08-20T02:50:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242025-07-011610.3389/fimmu.2025.16172611617261Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative reviewXinxin Shi0Lunuo Hu1David C. Nieman2Fei Li3Fei Li4Peijie Chen5Peijie Chen6Hui Shi7Hui Shi8Yue Shi9Yue Shi10School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaHuman Performance Laboratory, North Carolina Research Campus, Appalachian State University, Kannapolis, NC, United StatesSchool of Athletic Performance, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Human Performance, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaResearch Institute for Doping Control, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaResearch Institute for Doping Control, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Athletic Performance, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Human Performance, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaThe total exercise workload is an important factor influencing immune health. Appropriately prescribed physical activity can mitigate the detrimental effects of chronic inflammation, bolster the body’s defenses against both infectious and non-infectious diseases, and decelerate the immunosenescence process. Physiological and immune system responses to moderate and strenuous exercise workloads vary markedly. This narrative review summarizes current findings on the impacts of moderate-intensity exercise, high-intensity interval training, and strenuous and prolonged exercise on immune health, elucidating their specific effects and underlying mechanisms. Additionally, the role of challenging environmental conditions in shaping immune responses to exercise is also briefly considered. The insights presented here are intended to guide healthy individuals in selecting evidence-based exercise training protocols that are compatible with both health promotion and immune health. Moreover, this review offers prospective research directions, particularly regarding personalized exercise regimens and the interaction between exercise and environmental factors, providing valuable perspectives for scholars within the field of exercise immunology.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1617261/fullexercise intensityimmune healthmoderate-intensity exerciseimmune cell functioncytokine regulation |
| spellingShingle | Xinxin Shi Lunuo Hu David C. Nieman Fei Li Fei Li Peijie Chen Peijie Chen Hui Shi Hui Shi Yue Shi Yue Shi Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative review Frontiers in Immunology exercise intensity immune health moderate-intensity exercise immune cell function cytokine regulation |
| title | Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative review |
| title_full | Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative review |
| title_fullStr | Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative review |
| title_short | Exercise workload: a key determinant of immune health – a narrative review |
| title_sort | exercise workload a key determinant of immune health a narrative review |
| topic | exercise intensity immune health moderate-intensity exercise immune cell function cytokine regulation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1617261/full |
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