About David C. Nieman

EDUCATION:
• BS in physical education from Pacific Union College
• master of public health from Loma Linda University
• doctorate in public health from Loma Linda University
CAREER:
• Authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in journals and books, 75 articles in health/fitness magazines, and nine books.
• Has taught at Appalachian since 1990, with previous teaching positions in South Africa and at Pacific Union College and Loma Linda University.
TEACHING SPECIALTIES:
• health promotion, disease prevention, nutritional assessment, biostatistics, exercise physiology.
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Related Resources
Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science
Faculty Page

How one marathoner’s colds led to internationally recognized research that improves others’ health

By Jane Nicholson

David C. Nieman used to run marathons until his own research proved the practice could be unhealthy. As a long-distance runner, Nieman often became sick with cold or flu-like symptoms after competing. Other runners expressed similar complaints. So when he read a research article disputing negative effects on the immune system following extreme exercise, he decided to find out for himself. And so began a research career of more than 20 years studying the effects of exercise on the immune system.

Nieman is a professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science. His body of research has been derived, in part, from his own observations as an athlete. But, his work really is a lifelong devotion to improving the health of others.

Competitor to researcher

Nieman’s first major research into the effects of exercise on the immune system came in the summer of 1987 at the Los Angeles Marathon. Instead of competing, Nieman and a research team were on the sidelines surveying 2,300 runners before and after the race. “It’s still the largest epidemiologic study ever conducted,” Nieman said. The research showed that the odds of getting sick after the race were six times greater than normal.

The next step was showing what physiological changes occurred to the immune system.

After arriving at Appalachian from Loma Linda University School of Public Health in 1990, Nieman continued his collaboration with Sandra Nehlsen-Cannarella, Loma Linda’s chief immunologist, and enlisted numerous colleagues in other departments at Appalachian to assist in his research. Nieman and his Appalachian peers began studying ultra-athletes in the lab or in the field at races such as the Iron Triathlon, the Western States 100-mile race, and the Charlotte Observer Marathon. They also have conducted research on the U.S. Women’s rowing team at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in California.

Through a series of tests of blood, saliva and muscle tissue, the team documented the changes occurring to stress hormones and to cytokine and leukocyte cell counts in athletes during heavy exercise, among other measures.

“Common lore among runners was that during regular training they felt protected against colds and sore throat, but when they ran a marathon, they felt they had a higher risk and were more prone to sickness,” Nieman said. “We have shown repeatedly that the immune system does suffer suppression during heavy exertion bouts.”

But even with this knowledge, athletes said they were going to compete regardless. This spurred a new research angle: “Is there something we can do, as athletes, to protect our immune systems,” Nieman asked.

Solving that puzzle has been the primary focus of Nieman’s research for the past 10 years. Nieman and his Appalachian research team have looked at the effects of carbohydrate sports drinks, large doses of vitamins C and E, and ingestion of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen or Advil. They have found that mega doses of NSAIDS and the vitamins actually harm the immune system, while carbohydrate sports drinks reduce some of the negative inflammatory effects.

Appalachian and the U.S. Army

In its most recent study, the Appalachian team has proven that a natural antioxidant derived from plants – quercetin – is able to reduce illness and maintain mental performance in physically stressed test subjects. This naturally occurring, powerful anti-oxidant is found in red grapes, red wine, red apples, green tea and broccoli and is the first plant compound proven in a controlled clinical trial to reduce susceptibility to viral illnesses. “These are ground-breaking results, because this is the first clinical, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study that has found a natural plant compound to prevent viral illness,” said Nieman, who presented the findings in February 2007 at the southeastern regional meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Appalachian’s quercetin research was funded by a $1.1 million contract awarded to the university in 2005 by DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense’s high risk research and development organization. DARPA is seeking ways to maintain the immune systems of troops who are undergoing the physical and cognitive stresses of combat. “The athletes taking the quercetin supplement maintained their ability to react to an alertness test when exhausted, whereas those who took the placebo became measurably slower,” Nieman said. “The infection data and vigilance data are our two biggest findings in this study.”

Next, Nieman and his research team will look at quercetin’s benefits for the general public who experience everyday psychological stressors, and whether lower doses during a shorter period of time have beneficial effects. “The question that needs to be answered now is will quercetin help members of the general community who are just going through mental stress,” Nieman said. “I really want to see if this substance will help the common person. That’s what we’re gearing up for with our next research project.”

Exercise benefits for the nonathlete

Nieman’s research has benefited the general public before. After hearing runners who trained 30-35 miles a week tell him they had lower infection rates than other people, he conducted a series of studies in which people walked 45 minutes a day for five days over a 12-week period. When compared to a group that was sedentary, the walkers had half the sick days of nonwalkers.

More recent research has showed the favorable changes occurring to the immune system as a result of the daily walks. “Of all the preventive measures for the common cold, regular exercise has emerged as one of the strongest,” he said.

Nieman says his studies showing the health benefit of walking have been the most rewarding. “The fact that we were able to show this huge public health benefit to walking was the key to keeping me going with this line of research,” he said.

“When you look at percentages of Americans, nearly everybody can walk and gain benefit to their immune system. When it comes to showing that heavy exertion causes immune suppression and that here is something you can take to counter that, that’s applicable to the war fighter or athlete who may represent 5 percent of the population.”