Sophie E. Harrison, Jason P. Edwards, Ross Roberts, Neil P. Walsh
{"title":"Anxiety and Mood Disturbance Are Prospectively Associated With Respiratory Infection Risk and the Mucosal Immune Response to Exercise","authors":"Sophie E. Harrison, Jason P. Edwards, Ross Roberts, Neil P. Walsh","doi":"10.1002/ejsc.70058","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>We prospectively examined whether psychological factors influence (a) respiratory tract infection (RTI) risk and (b) the mucosal immune response to exercise. In Study 1, <i>n</i> = 406 adults (67% male) recorded RTI symptoms for two weeks before and after a marathon. In Study 2, under controlled laboratory conditions, <i>n</i> = 45 adults (51% male) completed 60 min of running at 65% V̇O<sub>2peak</sub> (EX) and seated rest (CON) in randomised order. Anxiety, total mood disturbance (TMD) and perceived psychological stress were measured before exercise. Saliva collected pre- and post-exercise was analysed for secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA). Fifty runners suffered an RTI post-marathon. Runners prospectively reporting high trait anxiety or TMD were more likely to suffer an RTI post-marathon (OR [95% CI] = 1.06 [1.02–1.11] and 1.04 [1.01–1.07], respectively). Higher trait anxiety and TMD were associated with a greater reduction in saliva SIgA (<i>p</i> < 0.05). There was no association between mucosal immunity and RTI risk (OR [95% CI] = 1.00 [0.97–1.01]). In Study 2, despite no significant difference between EX and CON (<i>p</i> > 0.05), psychological factors were associated with the SIgA secretion rate response to exercise in men (trait anxiety, state anxiety, TMD, psychological stress: <i>r</i> = −0.55, −0.65, −0.61 and −0.66, respectively; <i>p</i> < 0.01). In conclusion, anxiety and mood disturbance were prospectively associated with infection risk after a marathon and the mucosal immune response to exercise. Athletes should optimise psychological well-being to support immune health. Researchers should take account of psychological factors when examining the mucosal immune response to exercise.</p>","PeriodicalId":93999,"journal":{"name":"European journal of sport science","volume":"25 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12480926/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"European journal of sport science","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsc.70058","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We prospectively examined whether psychological factors influence (a) respiratory tract infection (RTI) risk and (b) the mucosal immune response to exercise. In Study 1, n = 406 adults (67% male) recorded RTI symptoms for two weeks before and after a marathon. In Study 2, under controlled laboratory conditions, n = 45 adults (51% male) completed 60 min of running at 65% V̇O2peak (EX) and seated rest (CON) in randomised order. Anxiety, total mood disturbance (TMD) and perceived psychological stress were measured before exercise. Saliva collected pre- and post-exercise was analysed for secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA). Fifty runners suffered an RTI post-marathon. Runners prospectively reporting high trait anxiety or TMD were more likely to suffer an RTI post-marathon (OR [95% CI] = 1.06 [1.02–1.11] and 1.04 [1.01–1.07], respectively). Higher trait anxiety and TMD were associated with a greater reduction in saliva SIgA (p < 0.05). There was no association between mucosal immunity and RTI risk (OR [95% CI] = 1.00 [0.97–1.01]). In Study 2, despite no significant difference between EX and CON (p > 0.05), psychological factors were associated with the SIgA secretion rate response to exercise in men (trait anxiety, state anxiety, TMD, psychological stress: r = −0.55, −0.65, −0.61 and −0.66, respectively; p < 0.01). In conclusion, anxiety and mood disturbance were prospectively associated with infection risk after a marathon and the mucosal immune response to exercise. Athletes should optimise psychological well-being to support immune health. Researchers should take account of psychological factors when examining the mucosal immune response to exercise.