Exercising does more than keep you fit – it also reportedly boosts antibodies after getting a COVID vaccine, according to researchers from Iowa State University.
The researchers of the study, which was published in the journal Science Direct, come to the major conclusions that exercise also increases antibody response to influenza vaccines as well as COVID-19 ones. Other reports include that exercise after taking the vaccine "does not increase side effects."
Researchers examined how a 90-minute workout affects the individual immediately after being vaccinated. And they cross-referenced the study by also using mice and treadmills and came up with similar results, where data from the rodents presented the "interferon alpha" protein that helps develop antibodies that are virus-specific. The study also emphasizes that a shorter workout had not increased participants' antibody levels.
The results were that exercising "consistently increased serum antibody to each vaccine four weeks post-immunization." Also, 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."
Nearly half of the participants in the study were considered overweight or obese, but during their exercise, they worked out so they could keep their heart rate at a healthy speed of 120-140 beats per minute.
Last October, the Health Ministry stated that all forms of exercise are fine after taking the Pfizer vaccine, after previously recommending that newly vaccinated people avoid exercise for a week due to very small possibilities of myocarditis. Israeli studies have also reported that risks of developing heart inflammation after vaccination remain extremely minimal.
“To the best of my knowledge, there is no reason not to exercise after vaccination,” said Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash.
Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman contributed to this report.