Athletes' Guide to Maintaining Strong Immunity
5 Essential Strategies for Immune Support and Performance
Whether you're a competitive athlete, weekend warrior or somewhere in between, prioritizing your physical health is essential for optimal performance. This entails ensuring your immune system is strong enough to handle the demands you place on it, including intense exertion and heavy workout loads.
Did you know that despite being considered healthier than the normal population, elite athletes are actually more prone to upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs)?
While moderate exercise boosts your immune system, prolonged, high-intensity exercise can temporarily impair immune function, leaving athletes more susceptible to the common cold.1 Multiple studies have shown that athletes, compared to less active individuals, experience higher rates of URTIs following training periods and competitions. 2
Intense, prolonged physical exertion, such as marathon or ultramarathon runs, is associated with biochemical changes, including an increase in stress hormones and inflammation, which can suppress the immune system. Additionally, the physiological stress, sleep disruption, long-haul travel and environmental changes athletes face significantly challenge their immune systems further.3
The good news is that there are several evidence-based strategies for maintaining strong immunity and reducing the risk of URTIs for athletes. After all, catching a cold is never fun, but for athletes, it translates to missed workouts and decreased performance in competition. Consider implementing these five strategies to enhance immune system function during training periods.
Athletes’ Guide to Maintaining Strong Immunity
(1) Implement Proper Recovery and Training Load Management
Your body's immune response to exercise is significantly influenced by your training load, which encompasses the volume, intensity and frequency of your workout sessions. In exercise science, volume refers to the distance or duration of activity, intensity denotes the level of exertion and frequency indicates how often you physically exert yourself. Essentially, training loads represent the cumulative amount of exercise you undertake within a specific timeframe, typically a week.
Without adequate recovery time between intense workouts, athletes run the risk of overreaching or overtraining, resulting in declining performance, fatigue and potential injury. Another symptom of overtraining is suppressed immune function, leading to an increased occurrence of respiratory infections4
For athletes, the initial step toward maintaining immune health is to manage their training load effectively and incorporate sufficient periods of recovery to avoid overloading. Here are a few suggestions from the experts.
- Progression in training loads: Aim to increase the volume and intensity of workouts by 5-10% per week, particularly during the winter months.
- Proper placement of sessions: Schedule easy to moderate workout sessions after each high-intensity session. Consider increasing the frequency of shorter "spike" training sessions rather than enduring fewer but longer sessions.
- Allow for adequate recovery: Incorporate recovery activities, such as foam rolling and active cold bathsstretching, immediately after the most intense training sessions. Plan for an easier recovery week with low-intensity physical activity every second or third week of the training cycle.
(2) Minimize and Mitigate Psychological and Emotional Stress
Life stress has a way of wearing you – and your immune system – down. Chronic stress triggers high levels of inflammation, which can ultimately suppress your body's immune defenses. Studies indicate that individuals experiencing significant life stressors are more susceptible to catching a cold.5
On top of regular life stress, elite athletes face even more pressure due to the nature of their competitive pursuits. The intense pressure to perform at peak levels consistently, coupled with the relentless demands of training schedules and competition calendars, can lead to increased stress levels. Plus, the expectations from coaches, fans and sponsors, combined with the fear of not meeting performance standards, further contribute to their stress.
To protect their immune health, athletes need to monitor and manage all forms of stress. This involves reducing unnecessary life stressors and incorporating stress management techniques into their training routines. Simple activities like deep breathing, body scanning and spending time in nature can effectively reduce stress and strengthen the immune system. For additional stress reduction ideas, click here.
(3) Prioritize Sleep Hygiene
Sleep plays a crucial role in the recovery, performance and overall health of athletes. However, recent studies indicate that the majority of elite athletes fail to meet their self-perceived sleep needs. Not only are they not getting enough sleep, they also experience poor sleep quality and irregular sleep schedules. These sleep deficiencies compromise their immune health, putting athletes at a greater risk of infection.6
Exercise science experts strongly advise athletes prioritize their sleep hygiene, aiming for at least 7 hours of sleep each night. It's also important to avoid consistently depriving yourself of sleep over several days and then trying to "catch up" on sleep afterwards, although day time naps may be beneficial.7
To enhance your sleep quality and duration, consider integrating these sleep hygiene tips:
- Establish a consistent sleep schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, to regulate your body's internal clock.
- Create a relaxing bedtime routine: Develop a calming pre-sleep routine to signal to your body that it's time to wind down. This could include activities like reading, listening to soothing music or taking a warm bath.
- Limit screen time an hour before bed: Smartphones, tablets and computers emit blue light, which can disrupt the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Opt to go "screen-free" during the hour before bedtime to minimize exposure and improve sleep quality.
- Create a comfortable sleep environment: To promote a better night's sleep, make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. Choose comfortable clothing and bedding that won't make you too hot and will help you relax.
- Avoid stimulants after noon: Limit caffeine and nicotine intake, particularly in the afternoon and evening, as they can disrupt sleep.
(4) Stay Fueled with Carbs, Proteins and Fats
Athletes face the risk of unintentionally or intentionally under-fueling, making it vital for them to consume enough calories and nutrients to aid recovery and fend off illness. Simply put, their energy intake should match their expenditure. Additionally, maintaining a balanced diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fats is essential for bolstering athletes' immune health.
Carbohydrates play a crucial role in fueling almost every cell in your body, including your immune cells. Consuming the right amount of carbs is essential for replenishing the glycogen stored in your muscle and liver cells between workouts, as well as ensuring an adequate supply of glucose during training sessions. Additionally, the availability of carbs also seems to play a role in limiting immune dysfunction induced by exercise.4 Experts recommend that carbohydrates make up 45%–65% of your total daily calorie intake.
Protein supports energy generation, hormone production and immune system function. It serves as a valuable source of energy, particularly during extended or intense workouts when glycogen stores are depleted. Protein also provides the essential building blocks (amino acids) needed for muscle repair, growth and adaptation to training. Furthermore, its role in antibody and immune cell production strengthens the immune system, reducing the risk of infections. To ensure proper protein intake, aim to consume approximately 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.8
Fats play a crucial role in vitamin absorption, hormone production, and regulation, as well as serving as essential components of cell membranes, contributing to their structure and function. All of which is vital for optimal recovery and performance. Additionally, fats are a concentrated source of energy, providing more than twice the energy density of carbohydrates and proteins, providing fuel during low to moderate-intensity exercise over long durations. Healthy fats also support immune function.9 Healthy fat sources include avocados, olive oil, walnuts and fatty fish.
(5) Take a Daily Postbiotic for Extra Immune Support
In addition to a well-balanced diet and proper recovery practices, including good sleep hygiene, functional ingredients such as probiotics and postbiotics can provide athletes with extra immune support.
Probiotics, along with their counterpart postbiotics, have demonstrated the ability to promote a healthy immune response, combat oxidative stress, and decrease the risk, severity and duration of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Additionally, they aid in reducing the inflammatory response, thus expediting recovery time following strenuous exercise10
However, there are significant disparities among functional ingredients in terms of their quality and effectiveness. When choosing supplements, look for branded ingredients with a proven track record, backed by clinical studies that specifically validate their immune health benefits for athletes.
IMMUSETM postbiotic stands out as a groundbreaking health ingredient for immune support, backed by over 10 years of research and 30 published studies affirming its safety and efficacy. In a notable clinical study involving more than 50 university athletes, IMMUSE showcased its ability to reduce the duration of training periods. Additionally, athletes who supplemented with IMMUSE for two weeks reported significant improvements in physical condition and experienced less overall fatigue compared to those in the placebo group.11
Click the button below to explore how IMMUSE delivers unparalleled immune support for athletes.
1Suzuki K, et al. Effect of Exercise Intensity on Cell-Mediated Immunity. Sports (Basel). 2021 Jan 11; 9(1): P8.
2André Moreira, et. al. Does exercise increase the risk of upper respiratory tract infections? British Medical Bulletin. 2009 June;90(1):111–131.
3Palmowski J., et. al. Managing immune health in sports – a practical guide for athletes and coaches. Dtsch Z Sportmed. 2019;70:219-226.
4YLakier Smith L. Overtraining, excessive exercise, and altered immunity: is this a T helper-1 versus T helper-2 lymphocyte response?. Sports Med. 2003;33(5):347-364.
5Cicchella A, et. al. Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Sport and the Immune System Response. A Review. Biology (Basel). 2021 Apr 23;10(5):362.
6Charest J, et. al. Sleep and Athletic Performance: Impacts on Physical Performance, Mental Performance, Injury Risk and Recovery, and Mental Health. Sleep Med Clin. 2020 Mar;15(1):41-57.
7Walsh NP. Recommendations to maintain immune health in athletes. Eur J Sport Sci. 2018;18(6):820-831.
8Munteanu C, et. al. The relationship between nutrition and the immune system. Front Nutr. 2022 Dec 8;9:1082500.
9Radzikowska U, et. al. The Influence of Dietary Fatty Acids on Immune Responses. Nutrients. 2019 Dec 6;11(12):2990.
10Díaz-Jiménez J, et . al. Impact of Probiotics on the Performance of Endurance Athletes: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 4;18(21):11576.
11KomanoY,et.al.,Efficacyofheat-killedLactococcuslactisJCM5805onimmunityand fatigue during consecutive high intensity exercise in male athletes: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2018;15(1):39.
