Outrunning the flu bug.

It pleases us no end at the Fitness Nerd when we can offer topical advice, so it's with much joy that I share this study from the November issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. It shows that mice who moderately exercised were less likely to catch the flu. From Reuters:

In theory, the benefits of moderate exercise may stem from its effects on immune defenses. Research has found that exercise boosts activity in various parts of the immune system that help limit a viral attack or help clear an invading virus from the body more quickly.

In the new study, researchers found that when they had a group of mice regularly run on a treadmill over 3.5 months, the animals developed less-severe symptoms when infected with the flu virus, as compared with mice not subjected to the rodent workouts.

So I suppose you all know what this means. If you have pet mice, get them on the treadmill now, before it's too late! Cold and flu season is upon us!