Oct 8, 2025 11:19 PM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1101233
INTRO: In addition to strengthening the muscles, lungs, and heart, regular physical exercise also strengthens the immune system. This finding came from a study of older adults with a history of endurance training, which involves prolonged physical activity such as long-distance running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and walking. An international team of researchers analyzed the defense cells of these individuals and found that “natural killer” cells, which patrol the body against viruses and diseased cells, were more adaptable, less inflammatory, and metabolically more efficient.
The research, which was supported by FAPESP and published in the journal Scientific Reports, investigated natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are a type of white blood cell (lymphocyte) that can destroy infected and diseased cells, including cancer cells. They are at the forefront of the immune system because they detect and fight viruses and other pathogens. The researchers analyzed the cells of nine individuals with an average age of 64, divided into two groups: untrained and trained in endurance exercise.
“In a previous study, we found that obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can trigger a process of premature aging of defense cells. This made us want to investigate the other side of the story, that is, whether an older adult who has been practicing endurance exercises for more than 20 years may have a better-prepared immune system. And that’s indeed what we found. In these individuals, NK cells functioned better in the face of an inflammatory challenge, in addition to using energy more efficiently. Therefore, it’s as if exercise also trains the immune system,” says Luciele Minuzzi, a visiting researcher at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) in Germany.
The study is the result of Minuzzi’s postdoctoral research and is part of a larger research project led by São Paulo State University (UNESP) researchers in Brazil and supported by FAPESP... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: In addition to strengthening the muscles, lungs, and heart, regular physical exercise also strengthens the immune system. This finding came from a study of older adults with a history of endurance training, which involves prolonged physical activity such as long-distance running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and walking. An international team of researchers analyzed the defense cells of these individuals and found that “natural killer” cells, which patrol the body against viruses and diseased cells, were more adaptable, less inflammatory, and metabolically more efficient.
The research, which was supported by FAPESP and published in the journal Scientific Reports, investigated natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are a type of white blood cell (lymphocyte) that can destroy infected and diseased cells, including cancer cells. They are at the forefront of the immune system because they detect and fight viruses and other pathogens. The researchers analyzed the cells of nine individuals with an average age of 64, divided into two groups: untrained and trained in endurance exercise.
“In a previous study, we found that obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can trigger a process of premature aging of defense cells. This made us want to investigate the other side of the story, that is, whether an older adult who has been practicing endurance exercises for more than 20 years may have a better-prepared immune system. And that’s indeed what we found. In these individuals, NK cells functioned better in the face of an inflammatory challenge, in addition to using energy more efficiently. Therefore, it’s as if exercise also trains the immune system,” says Luciele Minuzzi, a visiting researcher at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) in Germany.
The study is the result of Minuzzi’s postdoctoral research and is part of a larger research project led by São Paulo State University (UNESP) researchers in Brazil and supported by FAPESP... (MORE - details, no ads)