Exercise may not be the first thing most Americans want to do after getting a vaccine shot, but researchers have found that the immediate physical activity may provide a boost of antibodies.
Researchers at Iowa State University published new research in ScienceDirect and found that 90 minutes of mild-to moderate-intensity exercise, like an outdoor walk or jog, after a flu or COVID-19 vaccine resulted in an extra immune boost.
The study examined three different vaccines, one dose of a Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine, a seasonal influenza vaccine and a H1N1 flu vaccine. For participants that exercised for 90-minutes in light-to moderate intensity exercise right after immunization, researchers noted a consistently increased serum antibody response to each vaccine four-weeks post-immunization.
“Our preliminary results are the first to demonstrate a specific amount of time can enhance the body’s antibody response to the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine and two vaccines for influenza,” said Marian Kohut, lead author of the paper and a kinesiology professor at Iowa State University, in a statement.
Read more at The Hill.