Scientists have found something simple that anyone can do to help fight a coronavirus infection – BGR

• Researchers have shown that exercise can strengthen the immune response by increasing the production of immune system cells called lymphocytes.
• Lymphocytes or white blood cells are involved in the immune response after infections with bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
• These findings were observed in experiments involving mice. If this is the case in humans, these findings could lead to new strategies to increase the immune response to infections and after vaccination with regular exercise.

---

Doctors always recommend regular exercise, because any kind of physical activity is good for the body. While going to the gym and enjoying certain sports during the pandemic could be a challenge, there are plenty of ways to make up for the lack of access. Running, walking and exercising at home are some of the simplest options during the pandemic that would allow anyone to stay active without exposing themselves to others. And if this new study is correct, the best reason for exercise might be that it can help you overcome infections like COVID-19.

The best deals today %title% Price list:% original price% Price:%Price% Save:% discount_amount% (% discount_percent%) Available from Amazon, BGR may receive a commission Purchase nowCoupon code: % coupon_code% Available from Amazon BGR may receive a commission

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have found that exercise stimulates the production of immune cells in the bones that fight infections. These are lymphocytes, also known as white blood cells (including B and T cells), which are called to fight pathogens. Lymphocytes are involved in the immune response to an infection, whether it is the new coronavirus, a bacterium or some other non-body germ.

The researchers showed that exercise stimulates the production of cells that will later be involved in the immune response. Their study, published in The nature, also offers another notable finding: aging depletes the progenitor reserves of bone marrow lymphocytes. An accompanying article in The nature explained the results.

Bone marrow contains different types of stem cells and progenitor cells, which live side by side in so-called niches. Researchers have shown that movement can increase the number of progenitors of lymphocytes that leave the bone, moving to the small blood vessels that vascularize the organs.

The following image explains the various components found near the arterioles inside the bone. The authors analyzed the progenitors of bone marrow bone cells that express leptin receptor (LepR) and osteolectin (Oln) proteins.

During exercise, the bones are stimulated and a mechanosensitive ion channel called Pizeo1 is activated on LepR + Oln + cells. Two things still happen. The cells placed next to each other begin to differentiate, which leads to the formation of new bone cells. Exercise also leads to the expression and secretion of a signaling molecule called stem cell factor (SCF), which affects nearby common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs). These CLPs will turn into lymphocytes.

The researchers created mutant mice that lacked the gene that encodes SCF in their Oln + cells. This had no impact on the development of blood cells inside the bone marrow, but led to a significant reduction in CLP, which led to fewer lymphocytes ready to fight infections. The authors exposed the mutant mice to a bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes and found that animals that lacked the SCF gene do not eliminate bacteria as effectively as their controls. The scientists also organized a separate experiment involving the movement. They placed mice in cages with rolling wheels and found that running led to a higher number of Oln + and CLP cells in the bone marrow. Mice with Oln + cells expressed the mechanosensitive protein of the Piezo1 ion channel, while the mutants had an abnormally low CLP count.

The bottom line is that exercise can stimulate the immune system. In turn, this could lead to a better immune response in infection. If the same conclusions apply to humans, new approaches and protocols for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases could be developed around exercise.

The authors also found that the number of Oln + and CLP cells was lower in the bone marrow of 18-month-old mice than in 2-month-old animals. All animals were active, indicating that other factors reduced the expression of those cells, which could lead to immune system problems. The authors of the accompanying article mentioned that more research is needed to determine whether exercise can improve bacterial clearance in mice. Another thing to research is whether exercise can stimulate vaccination responses.

The full study is available at this link, and the accompanying article can be found here.

The best deals today %title% Price list:% original price% Price:%Price% Save:% discount_amount% (% discount_percent%) Available from Amazon, BGR may receive a commission Purchase nowCoupon code: % coupon_code% Available from Amazon BGR may receive a commission