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Research > Theory to practice - Effects of a five-day camp on the immune system
Theory to practice - Effects of a five-day camp on the immune system
Issue: Volume 27 Number 4
Background
High performance or representative athletes and coaches are often thrust into camp situations leading up to major competitions, either as pre-season preparation, or when distance means camps are the only alternative to weekly travel to train together. One of the problems when athletes and coaches are in these camps is the ever-present risk of getting sick.
Research
Swedish sport scientists monitored ten healthy young (17.8 ± 0.4 years) elite male soccer players before and after a five-day training camp. During the camp the athletes had a daily morning run of eight kilometres and 2 x 90-minute soccer-specific training sessions per day. The sport scientists examined leukocyte (white blood cells) and monocyte (fight bacteria) values in the athletes’ blood before and after the five-day camp to see if their immune system became depressed as a result of the hard work and conditions of the camp, a common observation in athletes training hard and/or long.
Findings
It was concluded that after the five days of intensified training, soccer players may experience decreased illness-fighting leukocyte numbers in their blood, possibly affecting their capability to activate the immune system and resist infections and illness.
Coaches’ takeout
Preventing illness is a major factor to be considered when in a camp situation. Washing hands before meals, strong personal hygiene, taking regular showers, avoiding airborne or fluid-borne bugs by such things as not sharing water bottles, avoiding or isolating sick people, and staying away from large groups should become a priority when in camp.
References
Malm, C, Ekblom, Ö and Ekblom, B 2004 . ‘ Immune system alteration in response to increased physical training during a five-day soccer training camp’, International Journal of Sports Medicine , 25:471 – 6.
