This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Timmons, B. W. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Exercise and Immune Function in Children

Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, timmonbw{at}mcmaster.ca

Exercise immunology is one of the fastest growing disciplines of the past 2 decades. Unfortunately, the number of investigations devoted to the pediatric population remains low, and our understanding of the interaction between acute and chronic exercise and the immune system in youth is relatively deficient. In general, healthy children experience smaller overall perturbations to the immune system in response to an acute bout of exercise as compared with adults, and they demonstrate a faster recovery of the immune system following exercise. There is only limited evidence to suggest that moderate to high levels of habitual physical activity are associated with a reduction in the incidence of infection and illness in youth. Special consideration should be made for the young athlete training and competing during an illness or infection. Some of the unique exercise responses of the immune system in children may have important clinical relevance, but much more work is required in this area.

Key Words: children • growth • immune system • exercise • physical activity

American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, Vol. 1, No. 1, 59-66 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1559827606294851


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?