Sheffield volunteers sought for study exploring the impact of exercise on vaccine immunity response

This new study will explore the effects of a single exercise session before having a booster vaccine at both antibody and cellular levels and whether it would be feasible to roll out interventions on a large scale.

Previous research has found that exercise immediately before being vaccinated has increased immunity against a range of diseases, most notably flu and pneumococcus, due to the changes that exercise creates at a cellular level.

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Participants will be divided into four groups and asked to follow a range of exercise protocols, including high and moderate-intensity training and resistance training. Immunity levels will be assessed before vaccination and two and 12-weeks post-vaccination.

Dr Markos Klonizakis, project lead and reader in clinical physiology at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “If an annual Covid-19 booster vaccination becomes the norm, it is worthwhile exploring the ways in which this immunity can be further enhanced.

“We know that a short bout of exercise helps to increase vaccine immunity against other diseases, so it would be really valuable to understand if this is also the case with the Covid-19 vaccine.

“We won’t be able to achieve this without people volunteering to take part in this study, so if you have your booster jab planned in the near future and wish to help, please do get in touch.”

Adults aged over 40 and due for their booster vaccine are encouraged to come forward to take part in the study.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 0114 2253925.