COVID-19 lifestyle education sessions: Exercise and immune function

Exercise and immune function
Professor Lettie Bishop - Professor of Exercise Immunology, Loughborough University

Professor Lettie Bishop’s talk will focus on how a person’s exercise and physical activity habits can impact on tolerance to respiratory infection and how this is related in part to the impact of exercise on immune function. She will begin by looking at the evidence suggesting that moderate amounts of regular physical activity can enhance tolerance to respiratory infections and then move on to discuss how regular exercise can have positive effects on immune function, with a focus on anti-viral immune defence. There will also be a cautionary note on how exercising too hard, too soon and too often can do more harm than good to the immune system. Prof Bishop will also discuss the implications of the relationship between exercise, immune function and respiratory infection for vulnerable groups and the general population in the current pandemic.

Diet and immune function
Dr Tom Clifford - Lecturer in Physiology and Nutrition, Loughborough University

Dr Tom Clifford’s talk will focus on the interactions between diet and immune function. He will begin by discussing the importance of a balanced diet for a well-functioning immune system. He will then highlight the key roles of macro and micronutrients in the immune system and finish off with recommendations for how nutrient intake can be manipulated to optimise immune defence.

Exercise and immune function in cancer patients
Dr Mhairi Morris - Lecturer in Biochemistry, Loughborough University

It is becoming increasingly apparent that physical activity and exercise play a key role in reducing cancer risk and helping to improve patient outcomes, but there is emerging evidence that exercise tolerance is impaired following coronavirus infection. This presentation will focus on the importance of exercise for immune function in cancer patients: not only how this can reduce secondary cancer risk, but also how it could help prevent viral infections, including coronavirus. It will also cover the current recommendations for exercise in cancer patients, as well as some of the outline recommendations for return-to-exercise post-coronavirus infection.

Sessions will be recorded and made available on the NCSEM website.