Effect of a 4-week Post-exercise Sauna Bathing on Targeted Gut Microbiota

Healthy Males Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effect of a 4-week Post-exercise Sauna Bathing on Targeted Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Barrier Function in Healthy Men: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05277597
• Other study ID #: PoznanUPhyEd 25.02.2020
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: February 10, 2020
• Est. completion date: June 25, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: March 2022
• Source: Poznan University of Physical Education
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Body temperature fluctuations induced by acute exercise bouts may influence the intestinal barrier with related effects on epithelial permeability, immune responses, and release of metabolites produced by the gut microbiota.

Description:

Untrained males aged 22±1.5 years were randomly assigned to exercise training (ET) with or without post-exercise sauna treatments (S). Participants in the group ET+S (n=8) exercised 60 minutes, 3 times per week, on a bicycle ergometer followed by a 30-minute dry Finish sauna treatment. The control group (ET, n=7) engaged in the same exercise training program without the sauna treatments. Blood and stool samples were collected before and after the 4-week training program. Blood samples were analysed for the concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and complete blood counts. Stool samples were analysed for pH, quantitative and qualitative measures of targeted bacteria and fungi, zonulin, and secretory immunoglobulin A. This study evaluated the effects of post-exercise sauna bathing in young men undergoing endurance training on gut bacteria inflammation and intestinal barrier function. Investigators hypothesized that sauna bathing applied immediately after a physical training session may impact homeostatic control of the gut microbiota and the function of the intestinal barrier.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 15
• Est. completion date: June 25, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: March 20, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Male
• Age group: 18 Years to 25 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• absence of medical contraindications such as epilepsy,addiction to medicines, alcohol and drugs, cancer, blood clotting disorders,

• no infections in the last 4 weeks prior to the study,

• no injuries in the last 4 weeks prior to the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• the intake of antibiotics, steroids, oral antifungal agents (except for topical antifungals), antiparasitic agents, pre- and/or probiotics,

• history of travel to tropical countries during the last 4 weeks before the study,

• history of adverse responses to sauna bathing.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy Males

Intervention

Diagnostic Test:
• The exercise 60 minutes, 3 times per week, on a bicycle ergometer followed by a 30-minute dry Finish sauna treatment.
Participants in the group ET+S (n=8) exercised 60 minutes, 3 times per week, on a bicycle ergometer followed by a 30-minute dry Finish sauna treatment.Blood and stool samples were collected before and after the 4-week training program.
• The same exercise training program without the sauna treatments
The control group (ET, n=7) engaged in the same exercise training program without the sauna treatments. Blood and stool samples were collected before and after the 4-week training program.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Poland	Tomasz Cison	Nowy Sacz

Sponsors (7)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Poznan University of Physical Education	Dariusz Sitkowski, David C. Nieman, Joanna Szurkowska, Miroslawa Galecka, Tomasz Cison, Zbigniew Szygula

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Poland, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change from abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzi of the genus Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia muciniphila of the genus Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium spp. of the genus Actinobacteria and Bacteroides spp. of the genus Bacteroidetes at 4 weeks.	Bacterial DNA was isolated from stool samples using the QIAamp Fast DNA Stool Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Danish). The anaerobic bacteria were determined by Real-Time PCR with appropriate primers (ThermoFisher Scientific, USA).The results of quantitative bacterial analysis were converted to the decimal logarithm (Log10). The entire Real-Time PCR methodology was developed and validated by the Institute of Microecology in Herborn, Germany	baseline and immediately after the intervention
Primary	Change from the concentrations of sIgA (marker of mucosal immunity), and zonulin (marker of intestinal permeability) in stool at 4 weeks.	Secretory immunoglobulin A concentrations in stool samples were determined with the Secretory IgA test (ImmuChrom GmbH, Heppenheim, Germany). Zonulin concentrations were assessed using the IKD Zonulin ELISA Kit (Immunodiagnostik AG, Bensheim, Germany).	baseline and immediately after the intervention
Primary	Change from the concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) at 4 weeks.	The concentration of hsCRP was measured by immunoenzymatic assay using a commercially available kit (DRG International Inc., Springfield Township, NJ, USA).	baseline and immediately after the intervention
Secondary	Change from the white blood cell counts (WBC) and subsets at 4 weeks.	Blood samples (approx. 2 ml) were taken from the antecubital vein.Complete blood count indices were determined by flow cytometry with a Synergy 2 SIAFRT analyser (Bio Tek, Winooski, VT, USA).	baseline and immediately after the intervention
Secondary	Change feom cardio-respiratory measures at 4 weeks.	Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) was assessed with MetaMax 3B analyzer (Cortex, Germany) using a graded exercise test (GXT) with a cycloergometer Cyclus2 (Avantronic, Germany).	baseline and immediately after the intervention