Exercise & Vaccine Response
topic
Regular exercise enhances the immune system's response to vaccination — with studies showing that physically active individuals mount significantly stronger antibody responses to influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccines compared to sedentary individuals, and that acute moderate-intensity exercise immediately before vaccination (the 'exercise adjuvant' effect) further enhances the local immune response through increased local blood flow, cytokine release, and antigen-presenting cell activity at the injection site.
Role
Exercise as a vaccine adjuvant is one of the most directly applicable recent exercise immunology findings — with the simple recommendation to exercise moderately on the day of vaccination being supported by multiple RCTs showing enhanced antibody responses from this trivial behavioral addition to the vaccination procedure. For older adults whose vaccine responses are naturally attenuated by immunosenescence, the exercise-adjuvant effect may be particularly meaningful in closing the gap between their diminished vaccine response and the protective antibody threshold. This knowledge is almost entirely absent from public vaccination guidance despite its evidence basis and its accessibility.