Cycling can bolster your immune system

Train consistently to stay young

June 26, 20233 min read

"Cycling in your 80s can mean having the immune system of a 20-year-old" - Alex Boden

Introduction:

The immune system study followed 125 amateur cyclists over the age of 55 and compared them with healthy adults from a wide age group who did not exercise regularly. The latter group comprised 75 healthy people aged 57 to 80, and 55 young adults aged 20 to 36.

The male cyclists had to be able to cycle 100km in under 6.5 hours while women had to cover 60km in 5.5 hours.

An organ called the thymus makes immune cells called T-cells. While it normally starts to shrink from the age of 20, the thymuses of older cyclists were found to be generating as many T-cells as those of young individuals and far more than inactive people of a similar age.

8 Reasons

Not just cycling but all aerobic exercise

Professor Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, at the University of Birmingham, and co-author of the research, said: "The immune system declines by about 2-3% a year from our 20s, which is why older people are more susceptible to infections, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and, potentially, cancer.

"Because the cyclists have the immune system of a 20-year-old rather than a 70- or 80-year-old, it means they have added protection against all these issues."

She added: "Our research means we now have strong evidence that encouraging people to commit to regular exercise throughout their lives is a viable solution to the problem that we are living longer but not healthier."

Professor Stephen Harridge, director of the Centre of Human and Aerospace Physiological Sciences at King's College London, commented: "The findings emphasise the fact that the cyclists do not exercise because they are healthy, but that they are healthy because they have been exercising for such a large proportion of their lives. 

Try the Disney / National Geographic TV documentary Limitless - Episode 04 Strength

The Kinetics Effect

Our customers, clients or as we call them 'second family'. are healthy and enjoy life to the full, is it a coincidence that they are healthy and well or is it because they train consistently and try to choose healthy Nutrition 'most of the time'.

Training with Kinetics a minimum of 3 x sessions a week covers all bases, as we work your aerobic base, muscular strength and endurance, and anaerobic endurance. We vary the training so your systems are tested continually and all the positive effects mentioned above in the study are having a positive effect on you. Those of you who exercise regularly with us could save yourselves up to nine years of cellular deterioration by protecting telomere lengths, shortened telomere lengths cause cell death and therefor ageing and other related illnesses.

Exercise, even in old age, is known to have a wide range of health benefits, from preventing disability to slowing down memory decline but now we know it can also protect the immune system its a win win situation. So, lets get busy and ensure our immune system is Premier League for now and as we age.

See challenge below for the rest of the summer and beyond.

Cycle on None Kinetics Training Days - how can it help you?


  1. Train at Kinetics 3 x a week for Group or PT

  2. Cycle / Swim / Row / Run/Walk 3 x a week for 30-45 minutes

  3. Rest completely 1 x day a week

PROTECT IMMUNE SYSTEM & BE BIOLOGICALLY YOUNGER

blog author image

Dean Whitehouse

23 years as a Manchester United Academy coach, University Lecturer in Sport Science, Coach in multiple sports, Talent Identification and Development consultant, British Army Physical Training instructor and owner of Kinetics Gym and Personal Training the home of the Fylde Coasts original 6-week body transformation challenge.

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