Running as Good as Medicine at Preventing Some Diseases

Corona and Corona-like viruses: According to the news the most affected people from Covid-19 are those who have weaker immune-systems by age, smokers, chronic diseases, hypertension, heart problems, diabetus mellitus, and so on.

Prof Janet Lord, Director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, at the University of Birmingham, and co-author of a research, said (Duggal et al., 2018): “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.”

30 to 60 minutes of moderate to intense activity can help your immune system keep viruses at bay. Be sure you know what’s going on in your area and whether there are any restrictions or mandatory self-quarantines. And, if you’re sick or at-risk of spreading the virus, you shouldn’t go out—the bigger concern is spreading it to those who are at high risk, such as the elderly or immunocompromised[1].

Latest research by Mohammed and  Alawna (2020) found that increasing the aerobic capacity could produce short-term safe improvements in the function of immune and respiratory systems, particularly those specific for COVID-infections. This could be mainly produced through three mechanisms. Firstly, it could improve immunity by increasing the level and function of immune cells and immunoglobulins, regulating CRP levels, and decreasing anxiety and depression. Secondly, it could improve respiratory system functions by acting as an antibiotic, antioxidant, and antimycotic, restoring normal lung tissue elasticity and strength. Lastly, it could act as a protective barrier to decrease COVID-19 risk factors, which helps to decrease the incidence and progression of COVID-19.

Japanese study finds 1 case of COVID-19 linked to running. Of the close to 700,000 people involved in 787 races since July, there has only been one reported case of coronavirus. According to a research report (JAAF, 2020) it was documented only one case of someone who was involved in one of the races contracting COVID-19 in the two weeks following the event they attended. The study surveyed 53 organizations including the JAAF and corporate and collegiate league governing bodies. As of Nov. 6, 47 of the groups had returned responses. A total of 571,401 athletes and 98,035 officials and staff took part in the 787 races covered by the survey.

To prevent cold and flu: Exercise boosts blood circulation making it easier for all the immune cells in the body to get around searching for any flu viruses and inactivate them. Also, it helps stimulate the lymphatic system that helps in eliminating waste and toxics.

The most effective methods to alleviate symptoms of colds and simple flu  that researches has revealed are running and exercising; outdoors, or indoors in winter. Viruses cannot survive in a high temperature environment. Accordingly, the self-protecting metabolism automatically increases the temperature of the body to protect against the virus. In the recent medical literature it is stated that keeping the immune system strong will be preventive against flu and colds, as in many diseases. It has been also stated that exercising and jogging with mild sweating and taking the necessary precautions right after the cold and flu – not being sweaty, nutrition and medication if necessary – increases the possibility of getting rid of the disease more easily and quickly.

Running on a treadmill will certainly help you sweat, but it’s also a great calorie burner. Burning fats and calories helps maintain weight, which is essential to prevent cold and flu. Maintaining weight through a healthy lifestyle and exercising regularly helps prevent diseases like cold and flu as your body is fitter and healthier.

Exercise may boost your vaccine response

Official Vaccines page from the World Health Organization  (WHO,n.d. ) states that vaccination is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting people against harmful diseases, before they come into contact with them. It uses your body’s natural defenses to build resistance to specific infections and makes your immune system stronger.

Vaccines train your immune system to create antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease. However, because vaccines contain only killed or weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria, they do not cause the disease or put you at risk of its complications.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination continues to be critically important. The pandemic has caused a decline in the number of children receiving routine immunizations, which could lead to an increase in illness and death from preventable diseases. WHO has urged countries to ensure that essential immunization and health services continue, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19

The researchers speculate that the athletes’ immune techniques had been strengthened and fine-tuned by the day by day bodily calls for and damages of coaching, permitting them to reply so successfully to the vaccine.

These research targeted on elite, aggressive athletes, which most of us usually are not. But Dr. Sester believes even more-casual leisure athletes are more likely to mount higher flu-vaccine responses than sedentary folks. Likewise, she and her colleagues count on excessive health ought to enhance immune responses to different vaccines, together with, probably, a Covid-19 shot (24NewsOrder, 2020).


[1] having the immune system impaired or weakened (as by drugs or illness)

Turtle Heart vs Human Heart

Turtles have a  heart rate about 25 beats a minute. Steal away its oxygen and within six hours the heart rate drops to 10 beats a minute.  If that turtle is chilled, its oxygen-starved heart rate will drop to a very low one beat per minute.  Yet the turtle is still alive and healthy. Come warmer temperatures, it returns to normal activity and its heart rate perks back up to 25 beats per minute. And a typical pet turtle can live between 10 and 80 years or so while larger species can easily live over 100 years. Sea turtles typically live between 30 and 50 years, and some anecdotal record show that they could live up to 150 years.

Since this book is about mathematics as well as running it is time to make a simple calculation:

In an average lifetime, a heart will beat around 3 billion times.

Average life expectancy in the Turkey is 78.3 years and that the typical value for adult heart rate is between 60 BPM and 100 BPM; so let’s take the middle-range value of 80 BPM and go from there.

78.3 years= 3.292.358.400 beats.

After a while you start running RHR starts to drop even below 60 bpm. Elite athletes RHR may drop 30-40. For a medium level runners it may drop  down  to 55 with a  3 years of running history.

Now if we calculate how many years my heart is supposed to beat having  the same capacity which is 3.3 billions bpm is about:

3.292.358.400/55 = 110 years.

Resting heart rate seems to be a common denominator for various types of heart disease. A tantalizing possibility is that lowering your heart rate could help protect you from heart disease and may even let your heart beat for longer (Harvard Health, 2018).

In summary, exercise-related decrease of RHR may contribute to—or at least indicate—increasing life expectancy.