Highly active elderly people can boost their immune systems to protect against infection, according to research.

"They followed 125 long-distance cyclists, some now in their 80s, and found they had the immune systems of 20-year-olds. Prof Norman Lazarus, 82, of King's College London, who took part in and co-authored the research, said: "If exercise was a pill, everyone would be taking it. "It has wide-ranging benefits for the body, the mind, for our muscles and our immune system."...

Highly active elderly people can boost their immune systems to protect against infection, according to research.

"They followed 125 long-distance cyclists, some now in their 80s, and found they had the immune systems of 20-year-olds. Prof Norman Lazarus, 82, of King's College London, who took part in and co-authored the research, said: "If exercise was a pill, everyone would be taking it. "It has wide-ranging benefits for the body, the mind, for our muscles and our immune system."...