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. 2011 Aug 5;11(9):607-15.
doi: 10.1038/nri3041.

The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise: mechanisms and implications for the prevention and treatment of disease

Michael Gleeson  1 , Nicolette C Bishop, David J Stensel, Martin R Lindley, Sarabjit S Mastana, Myra A Nimmo
Affiliations

The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise: mechanisms and implications for the prevention and treatment of disease

Michael Gleeson et al. Nat Rev Immunol. .

Abstract

Regular exercise reduces the risk of chronic metabolic and cardiorespiratory diseases, in part because exercise exerts anti-inflammatory effects. However, these effects are also likely to be responsible for the suppressed immunity that makes elite athletes more susceptible to infections. The anti-inflammatory effects of regular exercise may be mediated via both a reduction in visceral fat mass (with a subsequent decreased release of adipokines) and the induction of an anti-inflammatory environment with each bout of exercise. In this Review, we focus on the known mechanisms by which exercise - both acute and chronic - exerts its anti-inflammatory effects, and we discuss the implications of these effects for the prevention and treatment of disease.

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