Physical activity and
immune system. Systemic enzyme therapy in prevention and treatment.
Nouza K. Physical activity and immune
system. Systemic enzyme therapy in prevention and treatment.
Medicina Sportiva Boh. Slov. 1997, Vol. 6., No. 2, pp. 41 – 45.
Abstract in Czech
Summary: Besides serious infections, injuries. burns and
irradiation, stress is also provoked by a strong physical tension,
excessive training and heavy competition rate - factors of
professional sporting activity. An important consequence of stress
is on affliction of the immune system, its factors and functions,
leading secondarily to a decrease of antiinfectious resistance and
antitumor surveillance.
While experimental as well as medical experience indicate that
regular exercise and recreation sport affects immune system and its
function favourably, overtraining, and excessive strain lead to its
damage with undesirable consequences. A higher sensitivity to
infections is the most prominent: several small-range epidemics have
been announced. The paper summarizes main information about changes
in the immune system in professionals accomplishing demanding sports
- marathon runners, karatists, skiers, cyclists and others. The
immune cells (granulocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, NK) react after
an early temporal mobilization with a decline in numbers as well as
in functional activities. Similarly, blood levels of immunoglobulins
(notably IgA) tend (after a short-time increase) to fall down, often
for prolonged time period; the same applies to factors of natural
immunity. As underlying mechanisms of these effects there are
stress-mediated disturbances of homeostasis, overproduction of some
cytokines, adhesive molecules, and toxic radicals.
Among preventive and therapeutic procedures the attention is paid
mainly to combination of proteolytic enzymes. Surprisingly excellent
practical results may be satisfactorily explained by selective
interferences of enzymes with the pathophysiologic mechanisms of
inflammation and by their complex immunomodulatory
(immunonormalizing) effects.
Key words: sport, stress, disturbance of immunity, systemic enzyme
therapy