Alcohol is a toxic, addictive drug that can be very damaging to health. Alcohol products, mainly beer, spirits and wine can be marketed without reference to alcohol in the advertising. Alcohol is consumed without restraint or regard for its health consequences.
You know exercise builds muscles, strengthens bones, keeps your heart healthy and your mind sharp. But it also does something that you might not think much about: It helps keep your immune system ā your internal defenses against infection ā in tip-top shape.
If you take time for some physical exertion each day, it helps get your body ready to attack bacteria, viruses and toxins that can sneak in and make you sick.
But how much exercise is effective? Do too little or too much, and it wonāt have the best effect on your immune system.
Clinical immunologist Leonard Calabrese, DO, answers common questions about how exercise can impact your immunity and how to use your workouts to shut out a world of would-be invaders.
Q: How does breaking a sweat boost immunity?
A: If you exercise moderately on a regular basis, it tunes up the immune system in many ways. It enhances your broad-based defenses against viral infections, such as those causing upper respiratory infections.
Working out regularly also reduces the risk of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory illnesses and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
Q: How much exercise do you need?
A: Fortunately, you donāt have to push yourself to the limit to rev up your immune system. In fact, your immune system needs less of a workout than you get with your average cardio routine.
Focus on getting 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week, and your immune system will thank you.
Q: What types of exercise are most helpful?
A: Moderate exercises, including biking or walking briskly in your neighborhood, are good ways to get your blood flowing. Swimming is also a good option for non-weight-bearing exercise for your joints.
Also try mind-body exercises such as Tai-Chi, Qi Gong and yoga, which are all options that help keep your joints flexible. These exercises also reduce chronic stress, which in itself is a powerful immune booster. These exercises can also help alleviate osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia symptoms.
Q: Can too much exercise set your immune system back?
A: Yes, though, the level to which it can slow your system down is still up for debate.
Research shows that exercising for more than 1.5 hours without refueling your body or giving it enough time to recover suppresses your immune responses for up to a few days. During that time, your cortisol levels rise, your white blood cell count drops and youāre more likely to develop a respiratory infection.
This problem usually affects elite athletes, such as marathon runners, most.
On the flip side, staying sedentary also increases your risk of infection, inflammation and chronic disease.
Q: Can exercise make an illness worse?
A: Yes, it can. This is a complex issue, but I like to tell my patients to do a āneck check.ā If your symptoms are mostly of a mild cold without fever or lower respiratory symptoms, such as a productive cough, wheezing or shortness of breath, mild exercise can actually reduce congestion and may make you feel better.
If your symptoms are primarily in your lungs or you have a significant fever its better to rest until things settle down. Regardless, good hydration is important.
What to know before grabbing an ice-cold beer to beat the heat:
Itās a warm summer day and youāre hanging out with friends and family for the first time in over a year, celebrating being vaccinated and just being together. And to help beat the heat, you reach in the cooler for an ice-cold beer.
While that might be refreshing at the moment, though, thereās good reason to grab some water, too. The heat of summer can be brutal, sometimes, and its effects are amplified when youāve had a little too much alcohol.
To better understand the risks you face when drinking alcohol during this hot vaccine summer, we spoke with registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD.
The biggest danger: dehydration
Whenever youāre outside in the heat for prolonged periods ā like at the beach or picnic ā youāre at risk of dehydration. Consuming alcohol only heightens that risk.
Alcohol reduces the release of the hormone vasopressin, which keeps your body fluids balanced. At the same time, alcohol is also a diuretic which means more urinating and that can lead to dehydration even without the heat. Add in all that sweat from the hot sun and itās a recipe for dehydration disaster.
One thing Zumprano points out, too, is that caffeine ā whether via coffee, soda or as a mixer for liquor ā heightens that dehydration risk even further.
Dehydration can also compound certain aspects of intoxication, she notes. āAltered thinking, altered abilities to drive and make reasonable decisions or even just to have conversations are all things that intoxication can cause.ā
Liquor versus beer: Is one worse than the other in the heat?
Given that alcohol content is usually higher in spirits than in your average beer, it makes sense that drinking beer instead of mixed drinks might help you avoid dehydration. But the reality is a little more complex, according to Zumpano.
āIf youāre consuming liquor at a volume equivalent to the volume of beer, like 12 ounces of margaritas compared to 12 ounces of an average beer, you will get drunk a lot quicker,ā she says. āBut if youāre drinking whatās considered an alcoholic drink equivalent, thereās not much of a difference because your alcohol intake is the same.ā
According to the National Institute of Health, one alcoholic drink equivalent, also referred to as a āstandard drink,ā contains around 14 grams of pure alcohol. By those measurements, an average 12-ounce can of beer contains the same amount of alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a typical shot of distilled spirits like rum, vodka, gin or whiskey.
One thing to keep an eye on, though, is the alcoholic content of your beer. While major brands generally run between 4% and 5% alcohol per 12-ounce can or bottle, certain styles of craft beer are as much as 9% alcohol per the same volume. In other words, one can of your favorite local IPA delivers almost twice the amount of alcohol to your system.
Beware a false sense of hydration
Another mistake you should avoid, Zumpano says, is thinking that drinking all that liquid rehydrates you. āIf youāre drinking a lot of beer or alcoholic seltzer, it can feel like youāre drinking a lot of liquid and staying hydrated, but the alcohol offsets that because itās the dehydrating factor,ā she points out.
Not that drinking mixed drinks is any better, according to Zumpano. āIf youāre drinking a sugary, sweet mixed drink, you run into the same thing. It feels like youāre staying hydrated because they go down so much smoother than drinking spirits on the rocks. But itās the same effect as with beer: The alcohol is still dehydrating you unless youāre also drinking enough water.ā
Sugar, the hidden villain
All of these drinks have other adverse health effects, too. They can pack a bunch of calories into a single serving ā as many as 400 to 500 calories in some mixed drinks and craft beers ā and they can come loaded with carbs.
Thereās more, though. āIf youāre drinking high sugar, high caloric intake beverages and youāre drinking a lot of them, they can be very filling,ā Zumpano says. If youāre feeling full, you might not eat any food which can otherwise help absorb some of the alcohol.
How to counter dehydration: water, water, water
So what can you do to avoid dehydration troubles when youāre sipping your favorite boozy beverage by the pool? āTo counteract the dehydration risk of alcohol,ā Zumpano says, ādrink 8 to 12 ounces of water for every alcoholic drink. It slows your intake, keeps you hydrated and can mitigate negative hangover effects.ā
She suggests keeping a reusable water bottle with you that you can refill as the day goes on, taking time to drink the necessary water between beers or margaritas. Another option is to buy a pack of 8-ounce bottles of water and alternate with your booze. And you can always infuse your water with fruit to keep it flavorful.
āItās also important to know what your trigger for over-consumption is,ā she adds. āIf youāre triggered by over-consuming beer or alcoholic seltzer, you want to be mindful of that. Try to switch a drink you have better control of and keep the water bottle handy.ā
Moderate-to-vigorous exercise appears to boost cardiorespiratory fitness, which quantifies how well the heart & lungs supply oxygen to the muscles. Higher CRF during midlife is linked to a lower risk of heart disease later: https://bit.ly/3rEwvXe#HarvardHealth
How Long To Breastfeed: What the Guidelines Say and What To Consider
Recommendations encourage breast milk exclusively for babyās first six months and continuing to provide human milk until age 2 and beyond
How and what you feed your baby is probably one of the most basic ā and yet deeply personal ā decisions youāll face when you become a parent.
Youāll hear things like ābreast is best.ā As in, breastfeeding (chestfeeding) is the absolute best way to nourish your baby.
And then you’ll hear the retort, āfed is best.ā Meaning breast milk (human milk) and formula are both fine. As long as your baby is getting nutrients in their belly, all is well.
Then come the opinions on how long you should breastfeed. (You’re still breastfeeding? You gave up on nursing already? You fed your baby formula?)
It can feel like thereās no right way to do it. And thereās some truth to that.
Because what works for one family may not be feasible for another. But thatās OK.
Breast milk can provide certain benefits that formula canāt mimic. But breastfeeding, especially for long periods of time, might not work for everyone. Or you may have been given the impression that youāve continued providing human milk long after others think you āshould.ā
No one should feel guilt, shame or otherwise crummy about how they feed their baby. Letās face it, mom guilt is tough enough as it is.
So, we talked with board-certified breastfeeding medicine physician Heidi Szugye, DO, about breastfeeding recommendations.
How long to breastfeed
Science shows that if you can give your baby human milk (either your own or a donorās), it has its benefits. And the longer, the better, experts recommend.
12 months to 24 months (and beyond): Mostly solid foods with some human milk, as mutually desired by parent and child.
Previous recommendations called for providing breast milk until age 1. But these newer guidelines (implemented in 2022) are based on the understanding that human milk has benefits that continue long after babyās first birthday. And they help to remove stigmas associated with people who choose to extend breastfeeding into toddlerhood.
āThese recommendations are a call to action for everyone, and that includes hospitals, pediatricians and all physicians that are taking care of families,ā Dr. Szugye states. āWe want to make sure our practices and policies are set up to support people who choose to breastfeed beyond the first year of their childās life.ā
Think of the guidelines as the best-case scenario. If it works for you, your family, your child, your body and your life to breastfeed for two years or longer, youāre doing a great thing. And thereās no reason to stop until you and your child are ready.
If it doesnāt work for you, thatās OK, too. Your worth as a parent and your love for your child canāt be measured in ounces of milk.
Benefits of extended breastfeeding
The recommendations are based on research showing that human milk has some big benefits. And those perks continue for as long as you continue to supply it.
āBreastfeeding offers tremendous benefits ā from custom-made nutrition and increased immunity to protecting you against some forms of cancer. And those benefits donāt go away as your baby ages,ā Dr. Szugye shares. āWe have more and more data supporting that there are benefits to breastfeeding for more than one year when possible.ā
Breastfeeding can offer both you and your baby some big benefits:
Benefits for lactating parents
Benefits for baby
Lower risk of developing conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Decreased risk for ear infections, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal illnesses, SIDS, leukemia, diabetes, obesity, asthma and eczema.
āThere are a lot of immunologic factors and components to human milk,ā Dr. Szugye says. āOne big advantage to human milk is that you pass antibodies to the baby. So, if youāre exposed to a respiratory illness or GI illness, those antibodies are passed on to the baby and then that makes them less likely to get sick. And if they do get sick, itās less severe. Itās almost like a built-in immunity.ā
Keeping up milk supply for the long haul
Some people can make enough milk to breastfeed for as long as they and their babies choose. But some donāt. At least not without taking some steps to keep it up.
If you suspect your supply is dwindling as your child gets older, there are ways to help promote more milk production if you want.
āMany people notice their supply drop and mistakenly assume it wonāt return,ā Dr. Szugye notes. āBut if you want to continue to breastfeed, there are options that could help.ā
If a supply boost is in order, you can try:
Nursing more often ā Add sessions as long as your child will nurse. If youāre away from them during the day, try early evenings, mornings or weekends.
Pumping strategies ā An extra session or several short āpower pumpingā sessions (think five to 10 minutes throughout the day) for several days in a row can trigger your body to make more milk.
Breast massage and compression ā Easy-to-learn techniques can improve drainage when nursing or pumping.
Take care of yourself ā Reduce stress, rest when possible, hydrate and eat a balanced diet with an extra 500 calories a day to support breastfeeding.
Not an āall-or-nothingā
If two or more years of breastfeeding seems daunting, remember that you have options.
For starters, giving your child human milk doesnāt always mean latching them to your breast and nursing. Thatās just one way to do it. Pumping milk and putting it in a bottle, cup or spoon are also options.
And you may find that a donor bank could be a route to explore if you donāt lactate or if you have concerns about a low milk supply. Donor milk is pasteurized, screened for drugs, medications and infections, and tested for bacterial contamination before itās stored and made available for purchase.
āReach out to your pediatrician or womenās healthcare provider if youāre interested in obtaining donor milk. You may need a prescription from a healthcare provider,ā Dr. Szugye suggests.
Remember, too, that any amount of human milk can be a benefit. If keeping up with your babyās breastfeeding demands becomes too high a burden, there are alternatives.
Some parents may find that supplementing with formula (or other foods and milk after baby turns 1) can help give your child some human milk, while keeping up with their nutritional needs ā and not burning yourself out in the process.
āItās not an all-or-nothing thing,ā Dr. Szugye reassures. āAny amount of human milk you can give is a benefit. If it doesnāt work for you to constantly supply human milk, thatās OK. Weāre all just doing our best.ā
If breastfeeding is going well for both you and your child, thereās no reason to give it up until youāre both ready to.
Feeding a baby is tough work, no matter how you do it. And chances are, youāre doing a fantastic job.
Itās hard to feel sad or stressed with all this cuteness. We have science to prove it! Pets help raise their ownersā fitness levels, improve blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and boost overall happiness and well-being. pic.twitter.com/onB8EEGK5W
— American Heart Association (@American_Heart) June 27, 2025
