the effect of physical activity on salivary iga level in 6 to 16 years old children

Background: iga is the first line of defense in the mucous membranes. the secretion of salivary iga depends on many factors including physical activity. the aim of this study was to detect the effects of physical activity on salivary iga concentration in normalchildren. methods: this interventional study was conducted on 24 healthy children who were visited in society oriented clinic of zanjan university of medical sciences. salivary samples were collected in three times; at the beginning of the study, one hour after 30 minutes of exercising and finally after three weeks of moderate exercises. the data were analyzed by spss software through statistical tests. results: this study included 12 girls (50%) and 12 boys (50%), with the mean age of 11.37 ± 2.9 years. the mean concentration of salivary iga (siga) level at the baseline, one hour and three weeks after exercise were 51.99±10.44, 83.66±62.26 and 74.38±33.36 μg/ml respectively. we found significant rising in the siga after exercises. however, we didn’t find significant difference in siga levels after one hour and 3 weeks of exercises. conclusion: the siga level increases after an acute exercise and slowly declines with the continuation of exercise however it is still above the basic level after 3 weeks. therefore exercises might have beneficial effect on immune regulation and prevention of infections among children.