Sport (along with nutrition) is one of the most important factors for a healthy body. Sports practice stimulates the production of white blood cells, actors of our immune system.
As winter approaches, it seemed important to me to share with you some benefits of sport and collagen.
How does the immune system work?
The immune system is the body's defense, it will identify any foreign body that could be harmful, and will try to destroy it. This function is separated into innate immunity and adaptive immunity, working in a coordinated fashion.
Concretely, when a foreign body (virus, bacteria) attacks the body, innate immunity is triggered to destroy it. If its action is not sufficient and the infection develops, then adaptive immunity kicks in.
The immune system often emerges stronger, remembering the characteristics of the defeated pathogenic organism.
Sport and its benefits for the body
Our body needs sport to make all our organs work and boost our metabolism. Between the classic subway - work - sleep and office life, our body does not move enough during the day, which affects its metabolism.
The consequences of this sedentarization are obvious with the increase in obesity, arterial hypertension, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc. This makes us more vulnerable to bacteria and viruses.
Exercising will increase the production of white blood cells. This will directly benefit innate immunity by increasing phagocytes, which digest pathogens responsible for infections. And to adaptive immunity with the increase in the number of lymphocytes, which allow the body to adapt and put in place defenses against viruses and bacteria.
The impact of age
It is known that with age the immune system weakens. Either because the phagocytes become less efficient (innate immunity), or because the number of lymphocytes decreases (adaptive immunity).
Playing sports, through the actions described above, helps to delay the decline of the immune system and to stay in better health for longer.
It is of course advisable to adapt the intensity and the duration according to the age but to have a physical activity 3 times per week, and to continue to lift the load to reinforce its force (cf article here) to strengthen their bones and joints.
How Collagen Can Help Your Immune System
It is scientifically proven that collagen helps strengthen joints and bones, allowing you to continue playing sports and counteract the aging of the immune system.
It also contains many important amino acids, with anti-inflammatory action to help fight infections and boost our immune system.
Can I exercise when I'm sick?
In case of illness, it is not recommended to do high-intensity sports. Your already weakened body would have had trouble ensuring the hydration process linked to perspiration.
