Athletes who cram in extra workouts over the holidays to avoid packing on extra pounds also need to take extra precautions to avoid getting sick, recent guidelines stress. In some ways, athletes are just like the rest of us. They’re more susceptible to colds and the flu when they get too little sleep or drink too much alcohol. But the physical demands of regular, prolonged, high-intensity training and competition are associated with changes in the immune system that can make them more predisposed to illness than people who aren’t athletes.
Athletes may need to work more than the rest of us to avoid the flu
