RELATED: Dr. Fauci Warns That Vaccinated People “Need to Realize” This Now. The goal of any vaccine is to elicit the greatest possible immune response with the fewest possible adverse effects. Some vaccine manufacturers have achieved great results by adding adjuvants, additional ingredients which are used to provide better protection to the vaccinated person. However, while these are safe and effective in triggering a more potent immune response, the CDC points out that “adjuvanted vaccines can cause more local reactions (such as redness, swelling, and pain at the injection site) and more systemic reactions (such as fever, chills and body aches) than non-adjuvanted vaccines.” This has led some researchers to explore other means of boosting vaccine efficacy. Now, one study says it has identified something you can do in the hours after your vaccine which acts as “an unconventional behavioral ‘adjuvant,’” free of added side effects. RELATED: The FDA Is Investigating Reports of This Rare Moderna Side Effect. A 2022 study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity found that there is in fact a simple way to boost your vaccine immunity without raising your risk of side effects: exercising after your shot.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb The research team assessed how 90 minutes of aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, or cycling increased antibody response to vaccines for seasonal flu, COVID-19, and influenza H1N1. They determined that exercise directly following vaccination consistently increased serum antibody levels four weeks after immunization for all three vaccines. “These findings suggest that adults who exercise regularly may increase antibody response to influenza or COVID-19 vaccine by performing a single session of light- to moderate-intensity exercise post-immunization,” the researchers concluded. The researchers acknowledge that explanations for this phenomenon remain “speculative.” However, they suggest several reasons that exercise and robust immune response following a vaccine seem to go hand in hand. “One explanation given for these results is that exercise may act as an acute stressor. There are examples in the literature that demonstrate that acute stress may increase antibody response when applied before immunization,” the researchers wrote. Other studies have suggested that eccentric exercise—meaning slow, muscle-lengthening exercises such as squats—produce a local inflammatory response resulting in beneficial cell activation. “In some studies, eccentric exercise before vaccination increased antibody response,” the researchers added. For more health news sent directly to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Heading from a vaccine site to the gym could be among the simplest ways to boost your immune response—and it seems to have little downside. However, the researchers emphasize that a full 90-minutes of exercise was needed to see significant results in immunity. Study subjects who completed half as much exercise saw no meaningful changes in their antibody levels four weeks after their vaccine. “Antibody response in those assigned to the 45-minute exercise condition was not different than no exercise in young or aged participants,” the researchers wrote. RELATED: Unvaccinated People Will Be Banned From Here, as of May 16.
