Moderate exercise does not worsen symptoms - cold viruses - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2002

Common cold symptoms do not intensify or last longer when a person participates in light to moderate exercise, according to a Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., study. In fact, regular and moderate exercise may strengthen the body's immune system and help protect it against infection, contends Thomas Weidner, director of the school's Athletic Training Research and Education Laboratory. "Exercise pumps the immune system. It leads us to believe that regular and moderate exercise could keep us from getting colds."

He inoculated 50 individuals with a rhinovirus before dividing them into two groups. Twenty-five of them ran, climbed stairs, and rode bikes for 40 minutes at 70% of their maximum heart rate. The second 25-person group was instructed to remain sedentary except for walking to class or working a part-time job. In exercise groups, people felt better after their workouts, but neither group suffered from more-intense or prolonged cold symptoms.

Weidner warns, however, the basic decision to exercise depends on where the cold is located. Light to moderate exercise is okay for people with above-the-neck cold symptoms such as a scratchy throat or or a runny nose. Individuals suffering from below-the-neck symptoms should avoid exercise and allow the illness to run its course. These symptoms may include muscle soreness, diarrhea, vomiting, and deep cough.