The Effects of Exercise on Acute Immune Responses in Relative Leisure-Deprived People Living with HIV/AIDS: A Pilot Study

Exercise training involving exercises of optimal intensity and duration improves psychological and medical variables in relative leisure-deprived people living with HIV/AIDS. This study aimed to analyze associated psychological variables and the effect of exercise intensity and duration on immune responses in relative leisure-deprived people infected with HIV. The participants completed different moderate-intensity exercises (30 min (60–80% HR(max)) and 45 min (60–80% HR(max))) and high-intensity exercise for 10 min (>80% HR(max)). Levels higher than “normal” were rated for relative leisure deprivation, indicating relative deprivation of leisure among participants. The overall level of quality of life was “normal”, indicating that quality of life was not considered high. The stress level was psychologically considered low. Time had a significant effect on cortisol levels (p < 0.05). Compared to pre-exercise, cortisol level was significantly decreased immediately after moderate exercise for 45 min and 3 h post-exercise after high-intensity exercise for 10 min (p < 0.05). However, time and the interaction of condition and time had no significant effect on IL-6 and sIgA levels (p > 0.05). Despite the small sample size of this pilot study, the results demonstrate that moderate-intensity exercise can be recommended to improve the health and quality of life of people infected with HIV.