Walk (briskly) away from that Cold this Season

A new study on postmenopausal women was recently published in the American Journal of Medicine that showed that less active women were twice as likely to get sick as those who exercised regularly. This is the first randomized clinical trial, the gold standard of research studies, to look at exercise specifically in women and their risk of getting a cold.

The Center for Disease Control, the leading body on staying healthy in the United States, still recommends hand washing as the number one way to keep yourself and others protected from catching both the flu and common cold this winter season. However the recent research on exercise is starting to catch the headlines more often.

According to the study the most common type of exercise chosen by the participants was brisk walking for 30 minutes a day approximately five days per week. While past research has shown this link in general for the population this is the first time it has been shown specifically for women, and postmenopausal women in particular. The lead study coordinator Dr. Cornelia Ulrich feels that the best explanation behind the protective effect of exercise for the common cold is its ability to increase blood flow through the body. This, according to Dr. Ulrich, stimulates the immune system and boosts virus-fighting cells called leukocytes.

Another possibility for the protective effect of exercise is found in a second study that found that people who make time to exercise each week are more relaxed, get more and higher quality sleep, and have an improved outlook on life. According to Dr. Ulrich, exercise most likely has multiple effects on the body that improve the ability to fight off colds and the positive affects exercise has on the brain can never be overlooked.

With other research pointing to young children catching an average of 10-12 colds per year, the immune boosting properties of exercise should be looking like a very easy way to stave off catching the cold each time the kids come hold sniffling, according to the researchers.

The researchers did also mention in the discussion that over exertion can be detrimental, like most things in life, too much exercise can lower the immune system, but 30 to 90 minutes per day most days of the week is perfectly healthy and for postmenopausal women now it is known that it is protective against catching colds.

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