The Surprising Drawback of Intense Workouts Revealed

Unfortunately, if you're an extreme fitness enthusiast, you may compromise your immune system by engaging in too much intense exercise. Or at least that's what a research that examined more than 4,700 firefighters' post-exercise fluid molecules suggests.
This could be a problem for employees who have physically demanding occupations all the time and need to be extremely fit, such emergency personnel and athletes.

Ernesto Nakayasu, a biological scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), hypothesizes that "people who are very fit might be more prone to viral respiratory infection immediately after vigorous exercise." "Having less inflammatory activity to fight off an infection could be one cause."

The long-term benefits of moderate physical activity for healthy persons have been well-documented; nevertheless, there is debate concerning the immediate effects of intensive exercise on the immune system.

The idea that vigorous exercise increases the risk of opportunistic infections is not well-supported by data, yet a few earlier studies have found that athletes report higher rates of upper respiratory tract infections following strenuous activity than control groups. It's unclear if these are causes or correlations.

Therefore, Nakayasu and associates examined the blood plasma, urine, and saliva of eleven firemen both prior to and following a strenuous 45-minute workout in which they had to transport up to 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of equipment over steep terrain.

"Our goal was to examine the body thoroughly and determine whether we could identify the risk of fatigue at its initial stages," says bioanalytical scientist Kristin Burnum-Johnson of PNNL. "Perhaps we can reduce the risk of strenuous exercise for first responders, athletes, and members of the military."

Exercise is without a doubt extremely beneficial to our health, as it can improve our immune systems and elevate our spirits. There was change in the participants' oral microbiome too However, similar to other research, the new study found that the firemen who were in good physical condition may have immune system suppression.
There was a decrease in the chemicals responsible for inflammation, along with the anticipated physiological changes that support our systems in meeting the increased demands of exercise on fluids, energy, and oxygen. Increased opiorphin, a dilator of peripheral blood arteries, was present in conjunction with this.

It's unknown what these modifications may ultimately entail for the immune system's short-term functionality, but the researchers have some theories.

The team writes in its research that "[Opiorphin] may increase blood flow to muscles during the exercise regimen to improve the delivery of oxygen and nutrients."

We hypothesise that, in response to increased cellular oxygen demand, the drop in inflammatory chemicals we saw in the saliva following exercise may be an adaptive mechanism to enhance gas exchange."

The oral microbiome of the individuals also underwent modification. Although this conclusion is debatable, the authors believe this was caused by an increase in antimicrobial peptides discovered in the firefighters' lips following their strenuous activity, potentially to offset the immunological suppression.

Nakayasu and colleagues further explain, "Suggesting a limited capacity of antimicrobial peptides within the oral cavity to protect against host infections, this increase in antimicrobial peptides had no effect on inhibiting E. coli growth."

However, some scientists contend that some of the observed changes could instead point to a "heightened state of immune surveillance and immune regulation" rather than immune suppression.

Although the limited sample size was mitigated by a within-subject comparison, firefighters are subjected to distinct pollution exposures during fires, which could potentially alter their immune responses. Furthermore, the researchers note that because this study only included healthy, active men, more community-wide research is required to validate their findings.

Nonetheless, Nakayasu and colleagues conclude that "there is evidence supporting a relationship between physical demands and a higher incidence of respiratory infections," when considered in conjunction with other research.