Higher physical activity can save children from regular bouts of colds —Experts

With everyone back at school and spending more time inside, illnesses spread like wildfire. Some years are worse than others and it seems that since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, certain illnesses have come back with a scorching vengeance.

Parents are usually heartbroken to see children feeling miserable due to common cold, and will want to give them all the snuggles, nutritious meals, and medication to make them feel better. But parents can still do more.

It’s an important question to ask, especially since experts say that higher levels of daily physical activity are associated with reduced susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections such as the common cold.

Over 200 different viruses cause the common cold. One of the reasons little children get so many colds is that their immune system is still learning how to respond to the plethora of viruses out there.

Researchers measured the physical activity levels and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections of children aged between four and seven years in the Warsaw city region between 2018 and 2019.

Participants wore a pedometer armband 24 hours a day for 40 days to measure their activity levels and sleep duration. Parents reported their children’s symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection for 60 days.

They found that as the average daily number of steps taken by children throughout the study period increased by 1,000, the number of days that they experienced symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections decreased by an average of 4.1 days.

Also, children participating in three or more hours of sport per week tended to experience fewer days with respiratory tract infection symptoms than those not regularly participating in sports.

Higher activity levels at the beginning of the study were associated with fewer days with respiratory tract infection symptoms during the following six weeks.

Among 47 children whose average daily number of steps was 5,668 during the first two weeks of the study period, the combined number of days during the following six weeks that these children experienced upper respiratory tract infection symptoms was 947.

However, among 47 children whose initial average daily steps numbered 9,368, the combined number of days during the following six weeks that these children experienced respiratory symptoms for was 724.

The authors did not identify associations between upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and sleep duration, siblings, vaccinations, or exposure to pet hair or smoking.

They suggested that higher physical activity levels could help reduce infection risk in children by reducing levels of inflammatory cytokines which are associated with chronic inflammation and disease and by promoting immune responses involving T-helper cells.

They speculated that skeletal muscles could release small extracellular vesicles that modulate immune responses following exercise. However, they caution that future research is needed to investigate these potential mechanisms in children.

According to them, the observational nature of their study does not allow for conclusions about a causal relationship between physical activity levels and susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections.

Usually children can still be physically active when they have a common cold. Air quality outside is usually better than the air quality in our homes, and soaking up some sunshine is great for boosting the immune system. Also, children tend to be more active outdoors, even when their play is self-directed.

An easy rule of thumb to remember is, if the child’s symptoms are mild and “above the neck,” like a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, or a bit of a sore throat, then mild to moderate physical activity is fine. In fact, moving around can even help ease nasal stuffiness and help boost the immune system.

However, if the child’s symptoms are “below the neck,” like a cough or other chest symptoms and physical activity makes these symptoms worse, then it’s best to encourage rest.

Previously, researchers say in a study of 1,000 people found that staying active nearly halved the risk of catching cold viruses and, failing that, made the infection less severe.

Experts told the British Journal of Sports Medicine that this could be because exercise helps bolster the immune system to fight off bugs, suggesting that there are lifestyle choices to make to improve the odds of either avoiding them, or suffering too badly from them.

The US researchers had asked the healthy volunteers to keep a record of any coughs and sniffles they experienced over a three-month period during the autumn and winter.

Also, they were questioned about lifestyle, diet, recent stressful events and how frequently in any given week they would do exercise lasting at least 20 minutes and intensive enough to break a sweat.

Being older, male and married seemed to reduce the frequency of colds, as did eating plenty of fruit. However, the most significant factors that cut colds was how much exercise a person did and how fit they perceived themselves to be.

People who were physically active on five or more days of the week were unwell with a cold for about five days of the three-month period, compared to nine days for those who did little or no exercise. And even when they were ill, they suffered less with their symptoms.

Dr David Nieman and his team, from Appalachian State University in North Carolina, say bouts of exercise spark a temporary rise in immune system cells circulating around the body that can attack foreign invaders.

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, in reaction to a study that said exercise can prevent a cold, said: “This is yet more evidence for doing exercise. It reflects what we have believed for some time. Exercise makes us feel better and now here’s more evidence that it is good for us.”

 

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Nigeria@63: 10 takeaways from Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast

President Bola Tinubu in his nationwide broadcast on Sunday, said his administration is doing all that it can to…

Why lift of visa bans should not excite Nigerians —Akporiaye

The leadership of National Association of Nigeria Travel Agents (NANTA), headed by Mrs Susan Akporiaye, has queried the excitement displayed by…

I have no regrets over any of my songs, actions —Obesere

Paramount King of Fuji Music, Alhaji Abass Akande Obesere, the Agbaakin Abobagunwa of Yorubaland, in…

#BBNaijaAllStars: Pere is irresistible, I’m trying my best, Mercy soliloquises

BBNaija All Stars finalist, Mercy Eke has declared that fellow housemate, Pere Egbi, is…

DIY: Five things baking soda can do

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, can be found in most kitchens and has many surprising uses…

Team Edo emerges 3rd position as Delta wins 7th National Youth Games

Delta State has won the 7th Edition of the National Youth Games, tagged ‘Asaba 2023,’ as…