None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Acute exercise mildly activates the immune system; we have found that a short bout of exercise immediately before receiving a vaccine helps your immune system to respond better and give you more protection from disease. This has been seen in young healthy adults; now we want to test this unusual idea in people who could benefit most: the elderly. Those aged over 65 years are at greatest risk for influenza illness, and have been found to show weakest and worst maintained responses to vaccination. As such, a simple, safe, cheap and cost-effective intervention to enhance the vaccine response in the elderly is highly relevant and offers a unique, promising possibility that should be explored to better protect the elderly from ‘flu.
Interventions
A brief (30 minute) moderate intensity weight-lifting exercise task, performed only once immediately prior to receipt of the vaccine. The task includes 4 exercises using weights machines (2 lower body, 2 upper body), which are performed at 60% of previously determined single-repetition maximal strength. All exercise is supervised in the STRONG medicine centre at Balmain hospital, supervised by an exercise physiologist.
Sponsors
University of Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Aged 65 years or older.
Exclusion criteria
History of vaccine related allergies or side-effects; allergy to any constituent of the vaccine (including eggs and chicken); current immune disorder (including rheumatoid arthritis and asthma) or acute infection; current steroid or anticoagulant medication, any joint injury or pain which restricts completion of the exercise task, or recent history (6 months prior) of strength training
Outcome results
None listed