Exercise may boost flu shot protection

NEW YORK, Feb 20 (Reuters) Exercising the muscle where a flu shot is injected may improve the immune system's response to the vaccine, UK researchers report.

''We're trying to find something that could be very simple to do, which would benefit your vaccine response,'' Dr Kate Edwards, from the University of Birmingham, said in a statement.

In an earlier study, Edwards' team had shown that exercise can enhance the body's production of antibodies. In their latest work, reported in the medical journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, the researchers studied the impact that exercise had on immune responses to influenza vaccination in 60 young, healthy adults.

Six hours prior to influenza vaccination, the participants either rested quietly or performed eccentric contractions of the deltoid and biceps muscles. The researchers explain that eccentric exercise involves resisting the force of gravity while lowering a weight.

This exercise was associated with enhanced interferon production, an indicator of the so-called cell-mediated immune response to the vaccine, in men. In women, exercise improved levels of anti-flu antibodies The extent of the interferon response was directly related to the increase in arm circumference gained with exercise.

Further studies are needed to see if the enhanced immune responses make any difference, clinically. Still, Edwards concludes, ''If you manage to fit in doing some exercises before you get your flu shot, that certainly could benefit you in many ways and might well benefit your vaccination response.'' REUTERS SY KN0915