Eccentric exercise as an adjuvant to hepatitis B and meningitis ACWY vaccinations

It has been speculated that eccentric exercise improves antibody responses to vaccines by inducing a pro-inflammatory environment at the site of administration. However, eccentric exercise also induces immunological changes at a systemic level. This study investigated whether exercise-induced changes in the antibody response are mediated locally or systemically. Seventy eight participants completed eccentric arm exercise (n = 59) or rested (n = 19), before receiving hepatitis B and meningitis ACWY vaccines into opposite arms. Thirty-one exercise participants received the hepatitis B vaccine into the exercised arm; 28 received the opposite configuration. IgG against hepatitis B and meningitis ACWY were assessed at baseline and 28 days. IgM against hepatitis B was assessed at baseline and 7 days. Repeated measures ANOVA compared exercise groups to control, and then each exercise group to each other. Sex was entered as a between-subject factor. There was a trend towards exercise augmenting the IgM response to hepatitis B in women (Time × Group × Sex interaction; p = .07); no difference was found between the exercise groups. There were no effects of exercise on the IgG response to hepatitis B or any of the meningitis strains, compared to control. Eccentric exercise has a limited adjuvant effect on the efficacy of hepatitis B and meningitis ACWY vaccinations. Future studies should readdress whether immune augmentation is mediated via local or systemic mechanisms using influenza vaccine.