PUBLISHED 12/20/2007
During the hours following a hard workout, be extra diligent about washing your hands regularly, avoiding crowded, germ-filled places, and getting to bed on time--if not early.
Throughout your training, you'll want to avoid increasing both intensity and volume at the same time. Raise your mileage, and then hold it at that level for a week or two before adding in tempo workouts. "Not only will this stair-stepped approach benefit your immune system, it may also make training more effective because the body can better adapt and recover from each session," says Brian McFarlin, Ph.D., an assistant professor in exercise physiology and nutrition at the laboratory of integrated physiology at the University of Houston. He also stresses the importance of tapering your training before a race to allow your immune system to fully recover. "If you force the body to choose between repairing muscle-tissue damage or fighting an infection, it's probably going to dedicate more resources toward the former," McFarlin says.
Supplemental Help?
Carbs alone can't prevent colds, but Nieman predicts that within a year or two, a new wave of supplemented sports drinks will help bolster your defenses. Quercetin, an antioxidant derived from black tea, apples, berries, and other foods, is one of the most promising ingredients. Research indicates that athletes who take 1,000 milligrams of quercetin for three weeks before, during, and two weeks after a three-day period of intense exercise have fewer upper-respiratory-tract infections during the two weeks after the workouts. But Nieman warns that studies to determine the long-term effects of quercetin are still ongoing. Beta-glucans, a soluble fiber found in oats and barley, and curcumin, an anti?oxidant in turmeric, are two others to keep tabs on. So far, research has focused on superhigh doses--so you won't get the same benefit by simply eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast or sprinkling turmeric on your supper.
For now, researchers seem to know what doesn't work: Loading up on megadoses of supplements. Studies of zinc and glutamine show they do little to boost immunity or relieve postrace cold symptoms. Other supplements may do more harm than good. In 2004, Nieman found that athletes who took vitamin E leading up to the Ironman World Championship had greater oxidative stress and inflammatory responses than athletes who didn't use the supplement.
Bundling up against the cold or rushing to strip off your damp workout gear isn't likely to keep you from coming down with a cold or flu, either. "The idea that because you're cold, you're going to get sick is an old wives' tale," says McFarlin. Tell that to the doubters next time you're heading out on a winter run. Better yet, invite them along.
