ReviewClinical and experimental medicine2021
Physical exercise as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-19: an integrative review of the current literature.
Review in Clinical and experimental medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 194 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
194 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 469 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of exercise intervention on children and adolescents with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Association between physical activity and risk of COVID-19 infection or clinical outcomes of the patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene · 2023Pooled it
- Physical Activity Counseling in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review of Content, Outcomes, and Barriers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Baseline physical activity is associated with reduced mortality and disease outcomes in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Reviews in medical virology · 2022Pooled it
- Systematic Review of COVID-19-Related Physical Activity-Based Rehabilitations: Benefits to Be Confirmed by More Robust Methodological Approaches.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Using COVID-19 Pandemic as a Prism: A Systematic Review of Methodological Approaches and the Quality of Empirical Studies on Physical Activity Behavior Change.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Pooled it
- Analysing longitudinal wearable physical activity data using non-stationary time series models.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Trial
- Improvements of Physical Activity Performance and Motivation in Adult Men through Augmented Reality Approach: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of environmental and public health · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Low intensity vibration as a novel strategy to normalize age-related deficits in T cell proliferation, activation, and function.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- An Overview of the Effects of Exercise on Viral Infection in Obesity: Recent Advances and Potential Mechanisms.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Article
- Do positive childhood experiences reduce children's deviant behavior in physical education learning?-A longitudinal validation based on a latent variable growth model.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Awareness and Knowledge of Exercise Physiology Among Syrian Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.BioMed research international · 2026Article
- CrossFit participants' experiences of balancing family, work, and fitness in a South African context.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Exercise intensity-mediated regulation of gut epithelial cells and immune function in gut microbiota dysbiosis.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Review
- Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection does not increase heat stress during one hour of exercise in a hot and moderately humid environment.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Article
- The influence of structured physical activity on vaccination response from adults to older individuals: a systematic review on the Immunoinflammatory crosstalk of COVID-19.Immunity & ageing : I & A · 2025Review
- Impact of exercise on immune cell infiltration in muscle tissue: implications for muscle repair and chronic disease.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2025Review
- Characteristic Symptoms and Associated Risk Factors of COVID-19 Reinfection in the Indonesian Community.Yonago acta medica · 2025Article
134 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Acute viral respiratory infections are the main infectious disease in the world. In 2020, a new disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), became a global pandemic. The immune response to the virus depends on factors such as genetics, age and physical state, and its main input receptor is the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. The practice of physical exercises acts as a modulator of the immune system. During and after physical exercise, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are released, lymphocyte circulation increases, as well as cell recruitment. Such practice has an effect on the lower incidence, intensity of symptoms and mortality in viral infections observed in people who practice physical activity regularly, and its correct execution must be considered to avoid damage. The initial response is given mainly by type I interferons (IFN-I), which drive the action macrophages and lymphocytes, followed by lymphocyte action. A suppression of the IFN-I response has been noted in COVID-19. Severe conditions have been associated with storms of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lymphopenia, as well as circulatory changes and virus dispersion to other organs. The practice of physical activities strengthens the immune system, suggesting a benefit in the response to viral communicable diseases. Thus, regular practice of adequate intensity is suggested as an auxiliary tool in strengthening and preparing the immune system for COVID-19. Further studies are needed to associate physical exercise with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.