Sweating Out Cold Season

Nov. 15, 2010— -- To avoid catching a cold this season, ditch the hand sanitizer and lace up your walking shoes instead. This is the advice from investigators whose brand new British Medical Journal study found that regular exercise can reduce your chances of getting sick this winter by almost half.

Researchers from Appalachian State University in North Carolina tracked the lifestyle habits and respiratory health of 1,000 adults for 12 weeks during the fall and winter of 2008 by asking them to fill out extensive questionnaires detailing the factors that affect the workings of the body's immune system as well as how often they felt under the weather.

The study was unique because, unlike most previous work, it included people from all walks of life: Six in10 were women, and 4 out of 10 were between the ages of 18 and 39; 40 percent were middle aged, and one in four were seniors. Participants came from a wide range of backgrounds, marital status and income levels, too.

People who reported working out five days a week or more for at least 20 minutes were sick 43 percent less often than their out-of-shape peers -- and that percentage rose to 46 percent if they also perceived themselves as being fit. Severity of symptoms fell by 41percent among those who felt the fittest and by 31 percent among those who were the most active.

Even after taking into account all of the other influences that might contribute to the sniffles such as diet, sleep and stress, feeling fit and being consistently active had the biggest influence on how often people caught colds. Being older, male and married also jumped out of the data as health boosters, but to a lesser degree.

"Activity is, by far, the most powerful lifestyle habit in terms of your ability to avoid getting sick," said David Nieman, the study's lead author. "Exercise is the one thing you can do that truly seems to boost immunity. In many ways, it's more effective than hand washing and other hygiene habits. No matter how clean you are, coming into contact with viruses and bugs is unavoidable."