How Walking Can Boost Your Immune System

Having a strong immune system is your best defense against infections and disease. Your immune system protects you from germs, destroys harmful substances that get into your body, heals any body damage, and adapts so it works better.

Getting sick is the pits. If you catch a cold or three every year, you may want to know what you can do to improve your immune system. According to research, you should consider walking. A regular walking routine enhances and balances your body’s defense against infections and disease and may protect you from getting sick. Here, we explore the ways walking boosts the immune system. 

How Walking Boosts the Immune System

Research indicates that walking has a direct impact on the immune system by both increasing the production of white blood cells and enhancing mucosal immune function. This latter function serves as a frontline defense system, creating a barrier against foreign particles and, therefore, contributing to an overall strengthened immune system. An older study published in the International Journal of Sport and Health Science found that walking regularly for three months enhanced mucosal immune function by increasing the production of salivary immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in a small group of older adults.

SIgA is an antibody found in the lining of your mouth and upper respiratory tract and is one of the first lines of defense against germs. Higher SIgA levels may stop cold or flu germs before they have a chance to take hold, so you don’t get sick.  

Because walking is so good for your immune system, you might think all exercise is good for boosting immune function. But that’s not entirely true. While walking increases SIgA levels, more intense workouts lower these antibody levels, which is why athletes are more prone to upper respiratory infections.

Walking also improves immunocyte function by increasing neutrophils, your natural killer cells, and your helper T cells. These immune cells fight off microbes, infected cells, and diseased cells like cancer cells. 

Though walking at any pace boosts the immune system, you may get more benefits walking at a moderate pace (3 miles per hour) or fast pace (5 miles per hour), according to a 2023 study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation.

“With this type of evidence, we should be encouraging walking as an exercise modality to help improve the immune system,” says Lacy Puttuck, MS, RDN, CISSN, CSCS, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching specializing in weight management, sports nutrition, and autoimmune and food allergies.

Puttuck says the current recommendation is to walk 30 minutes at a moderate pace five days a week. But starting at 10 minutes a day and walking whenever you can throughout the day works, too. The right footwear can also motivate you to take extra steps, such as comfortable Nike walking shoes. Consider parking at the far end of the parking lot, taking a lap around the house or office every hour, or using a bathroom that’s a little further away. 

Immune-Boosting Mechanisms of Walking

Walking is an aerobic exercise that increases heart rate, improves circulation, and activates the large muscles in your legs. Researchers are still learning about the mechanisms behind the immune-boosting effects of walking but theorize it may involve cytokines or cell signaling proteins. 

Physical activity triggers the release of a specific set of cytokines that seem to activate your immune system so it’s prepared to fight for you. They also signal the release of immune cells and substances that regulate inflammation.

Most cytokines are pro-inflammatory, meaning they trigger inflammation in the body. However, the cytokines released when walking control and decrease the inflammatory process.

Inflammation is a normal immune reaction to infections, diseases, and damage and is the healing part of your immune system. Exercise temporarily damages muscle fibers, triggering the inflammatory process. The more intense the workout, the greater the damage and the higher the inflammatory reaction.

Walking activates the immune system in a way that generates an appropriate immune response, not an overreaction that results in excessive inflammation like a more intense workout. Walking also reduces inflammation and balances the immune system, boosting its function.

Walking also impacts lymphatic fluid, which carries immune cells, pathogens, and nutrients, and moves it around, says Puttuck. “When left stagnant from inactivity, those pathogens sit and do not get processed out. This increases our chances of becoming ill."

Other Benefits of Walking

Walking also elevates your mood, helps with weight management, and improves cardiovascular health. Here's what you need to know about these potential immune-boosting benefits:

Mental Health

Your mental health affects your immune system. For instance, depression is a common and serious mood disorder that lowers immune cell production, increases stress hormone levels, and causes chronic inflammation, making you more susceptible to illness. Walking is a natural mood booster and may help relieve your depressive symptoms, indirectly improving immune system function.

Weight Management

Your weight may also affect immune function, says Puttuck. “There is a relationship between poor immune function and obesity due to the inflammatory cells of adipose tissue."

Walking helps with weight management, too. Not only can it reduce body fat and increase muscle mass, but it also indirectly reduces inflammation and boosts the immune system.

Cardiovascular Health

Chronic inflammation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, walking reduces inflammation and may lower your risk. It also improves other risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol.

Walk Outside for Additional Benefits

Taking your walk outside may offer additional benefits to the immune system. Exposure to sunlight improves mental health and increases vitamin D levels. 

“Vitamin D plays an essential role in both innate and adaptive immunity in humans,” explains Puttuck. Meanwhile, low levels of vitamin D make you more susceptible to infections and serious illnesses. 

Walking in forests is also good for the immune system because you breathe in the chemicals that the plants release to protect them from insects. These chemicals increase the production and activity of your natural killer cells.

Bottom Line

Walking is a simple and accessible way to boost your immune system. It improves immune cell levels, lowers inflammation, boosts mood, and improves stress. Incorporating walking into your lifestyle benefits your long-term immune system health.

Plus, walking is a safe and effective form of exercise for most people. It’s easy on the body and joints, something you can do almost anywhere, and doesn’t require special equipment other than supportive walking shoes. Always consult with a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise routine.