Abstract
Simple SummaryThis review aims at clarifying the relationships of heavy training with the upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), a topic which has reach the public awareness with the recent outbreaks of Covid 19. The URTIs are quite common in several sport activities among athletes who undergo heavy training. Causes of URTI are still poorly understood, because can be related with innate and genetic susceptibility and with several environmental factors connected with training load and nutrition. The time course of the inflammation process affecting URTI after training, has been also reviewed. After a survey of the possible physiological and psychological causes (stressors), including a survey of the main markers of inflammation currently found in scientific literature (mainly catecholamines), we provided evidence of the ingestion of carbohydrates, C, D, and E vitamins, probiotics and even certain fat, in reducing URTI in athletes. Possible countermeasures to URTI can be a correct nutrition, sleep hygiene, a proper organization of training loads, and the use of technique to reduce stress in professional athletes. There is a lack of studies investigating social factors (isolation) albeit with Covid 19 this gap has been partially fill. The results can be useful also for non-athletes.Immunity is the consequence of a complex interaction between organs and the environment. It is mediated the interaction of several genes, receptors, molecules, hormones, cytokines, antibodies, antigens, and inflammatory mediators which in turn relate and influence the psychological health. The immune system response of heavily trained athletes resembles an even more complex conditions being theorized to follow a J or S shape dynamics at times. High training loads modify the immune response elevating the biological markers of immunity and the body susceptibility to infections. Heavy training and/or training in a cold environment increase the athletes’ risk to develop Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs). Therefore, athletes, who are considered healthier than the normal population, are in fact more prone to infections of the respiratory tract, due to lowering of the immune system in the time frames subsequent heavy training sessions. In this revision we will review the behavioral intervention, including nutritional approaches, useful to minimize the “open window” effect on infection and how to cope with stressors and boost the immune system in athletes.
Highlights
COVID 19 is a lower respiratory tract infection, and this review focuses on upper respiratory tract infections
In the following sub-sections, we summarize the evidence gathered for some of the most promising approaches including, a nutritional intervention based on carbohydrates, amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, some minerals, plant antioxidants, and vitamin D
Immunity is a complex interaction between organs and the environment, mediated by several genes, receptors, molecules, hormones, cytokines, antibodies, antigens, inflammation substances which in turn relate to psychological factors
Summary
The definition of “immune system response” is complex, because involving thousands of different factors, some orchestrating together and some acting independently or organized in local networks. These factors are mediated by several mechanisms working at the transcriptional, molecular, and systemic level. Epitope, the antigen’s part which cause the immune response with antibodies, T and B cells proliferation. Due to the high demands of the sport, and probably, to the strongest immune system, in athletes, the immune response is, in some extent, different from that one happening in non-heavily loaded organisms [2,3], making the elite athlete more vulnerable to infections
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