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no_one_in_particle t1_j85q7zb wrote

Reply to comment by Kenna193 in What are some of the mechanisms behind why long term physical inactivity and social isolation leads to chronic health diseases? by [deleted]

Also physical movement helps move lymph and blood. Our heart beat pushes blood through the body but blood in the veins and lymph rely heavily on muscle contraction and one way valves.

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DonkeyKong_vs_Animal t1_j87abac wrote

Move lymph?

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no_one_in_particle t1_j8bb8an wrote

Yeah, so a small portion of interstitial fluid (fluid in-between the cells) is pulled into the lymph system. This lymph fluid runs by lymph nodes and such where it is checked for any non-self (virus, bacteria, cancer, etc) things so the immune system can basically take samples of tissue to make sure all is well. This system requires the skeletal muscles and one way valves to help squeeze it through where eventually it dumps back into the blood. It's why you get swollen lymph nodes when you are sick. They have sampled, detected a foreign object, and now have activated to recruit the rest of the immune system to neutralize the threat.

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