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HealthyNCT00371397

Yoga, Immune Function, and Health

A study testing Hatha Yoga Classes in people with Healthy, run by Ohio State University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study is designed to examine the impact of hatha yoga on immune and hormonal functioning in healthy individuals. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 30 to 65 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy
What is being tested?
Hatha Yoga Classes
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
52 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2005to Sep 2008
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 30 to 65 years
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • healthy female adults
  • relatively inexperienced with yoga (beginner)
  • experienced with yoga (advanced practitioner)

Who cannot join

  • Treatment with medication that has immunological or endocrinological consequences
  • Chronic health problems that affect immune or endocrine systems
  • Anemia
  • Use of psychoactive drugs or mood-altering medication
  • Smoking
  • Needle or blood phobias
Show all 14Show fewer
  • Tape or bandage allergies
  • Pregnancy or nursing within the previous 3 months
  • Heart problems
  • History of hip or knee replacement surgery, displaced vertebrae, and any other physical limitations that would prevent full participation in the program
  • use of statins, beta blockers
  • excessive alcohol use
  • convulsive disorders
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Ohio State University Clinical Research Center

    Columbus, Ohio, 43210

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Psychoneuroimmunology and Mind-Body Interventions

This study is designed to examine the impact of hatha yoga on immune and hormonal functioning in healthy individuals.

Read the detailed description

This study is designed to examine the effects of hatha yoga on autonomic, immune, and endocrine function. The data from both inexperienced and experienced groups will help us better understand how longer-term practice of yoga may be beneficial. The study consists of one 3-hour screening session and three 6-hour activity sessions with 30 minute follow-up appointments the following morning scheduled 2 - 4 weeks apart. Each participant will complete the 3 activity sessions, which will consist of either yoga, mild movement, or a neutral activity (watching a videotape), in randomly assigned order. Thus, both novices and experts will participate in 3 activity sessions each (yoga, movement control, video control). The order in which each participant goes through the activity sessions is counterbalanced. Data for each activity session will be aggregated by group (i.e. novice or expert). We will measure responses to tape stripping to assess skin barrier repair, and evaluate responses to computer tasks, self-report measures, and a battery of unobtrusive behavioral measures. We will also collect blood and saliva samples to measure immune and endocrine outcomes.

Conditions
Healthy
Being tested
Hatha Yoga Classes, Movement Control
Keywords
yoga, immune function, stress, health, mood, skin barrier repair

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Hatha Yoga ClassesBehavioural

    Iyengar yoga, the form of hatha yoga used in this study, emphasizes the use of props to help students achieve precise postures safely and comfortably according to their particular body types and needs. The yoga activity sessions were directed by four experienced yoga teachers following a script. The poses used were (in order) Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose), Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog), Supported Uttanasana (Intense Forward Stretch), Parsvotanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose), Prasarita Padottanansana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend), Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee Pose), Bharadvajasana (Simple Seated Twist Pose), Viparita Karani (Restful Inversion), Supported Setu Bandha Sarvanagasana (Bridge Pose), and Savasana (Corpse Pose). Blood draws occurred during the last two minutes of Supta Baddha Konasana (pose held 10 minutes), Viparita Karani (10 minutes), and Savasana (15 minutes).

  • Movement ControlBehavioural

    Walking on a treadmill at .5 miles per hour was used to control for general physical movement/cardiovascular expenditure because it best approximated the heart rates during the restorative yoga session. To match the lower heart rate, women also rested supine on a bed for several minutes after walking, before and after getting their blood drawn.

Study groups in NCT00371397
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Hatha yoga classesExperimentalGroups consisted of novices or experts. Groups were counterbalanced to ensure that equal number of novices and experts participated in each possible session combination, in a randomly assigned order.
Receives: Behavioral: Hatha Yoga Classes
Movement ControlSham comparatorNon-Hatha yoga gentle movement. Groups consisted of novices or experts. Groups were counterbalanced to ensure that equal number of novices and experts participated in each possible session combination, in a randomly assigned order.
Receives: Behavioral: Movement Control
Passive Video ControlNo interventionAnother control condition, a neutral video that did not include any music, allowed us to contrast the effects of yoga with no activity.The session included a sequence on how to design physics experiments for a high school classroom, as well as segments from two lectures on polymers and quantum mechanics. Groups were counterbalanced to ensure that equal number of novices and experts participated in each possible session combination, in a randomly assigned order.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Number of Participants With Detectable C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

    High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) assessed once at baseline, at each of the three visits. The hsCRP assay was performed using chemiluminescence methodology with the Immulite 1000 (Siemens Medical Solutions, Los Angeles, Ca.) The lowest level of detection is .3 mg/dL. 43% of the values were below this lower bound, thus hsCRP was dichotomized as undetectable/detectable.

    Measured: 8:30 a.m. at each of the three visits, scheduled at least 2 weeks apart

  2. Cortisol

    All cortisol and catecholamine samples for a subject were frozen after collection and analyzed within the same assay run after the participant had completed the study.

    Measured: Day 1 8:30, 10:05, 10:58, 11:35, 12:05, 13:10. Day 2 7:30

  3. Skin Barrier Repair: Trans-epidermal Water Loss (TEWL)

    Cellophane tape stripping, a common dermatological paradigm for studying restoration of the skin barrier, was used to examine whether the time necessary for recovery from minor physical insults varied by condition or yoga expertise. Measurement of the rate of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) through human skin provides a noninvasive method to monitor changes in the skin's barrier function. TEWL was measured twice during the session using a computerized evaporimetry instrument, the DermaLab® (CyberDERM, Media, PA), and barrier recovery was calculated.

    Measured: 11:50, 12:50 at each of the three visits, scheduled at least 2 weeks apart

  4. Immune Function: Soluble Interleukin-6 Receptor (sIL-6r)

    Serum levels of the sIL-6r were assayed using Quantikine High Sensitivity Immunoassay kits (R\&D), per kit instructions.

    Measured: Day 1 8:30, 11:35, 13:10. Day 2 7:30

  5. Immune Function: Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α)

    Serum levels of TNF-α were assayed using Quantikine High Sensitivity Immunoassay kits (R\&D), per kit instructions.

    Measured: Day 1 8:30, 11:35, 13:10. Day 2 7:30

  6. Immune Function: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -Stimulated Production of Interleukin-6 (IL-6)

    Supernatants from PBLs stimulated with 5μg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 72 h were assayed for IL-6 and TNF-α using ELISA kits (B-D Pharmingen).

    Measured: Day 1 8:30, 10:05, 11:35, 13:10. Day 2 7:30

  7. Immune Function: LPS-stimulated Production of TNF-α

    Supernatants from PBLs stimulated with 5μg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 72 h were assayed for IL-6 and TNF-α using ELISA kits (B-D Pharmingen).

    Measured: Day 1 8:30, 10:05, 11:35, 13:10. Day 2 7:30

  8. Immune Function: Interleukin-6 (IL-6)

    Serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and the sIL-6r were assayed using Quantikine High Sensitivity Immunoassay kits (R\&D), per kit instructions

    Measured: Day 1 8:30, 11:35, 13:10. Day 2 7:30

  9. Catecholamine Production: Epinephrine

    All cortisol and catecholamine samples for a subject were frozen after collection and analyzed within the same assay run after the participant had completed the study.

    Measured: 8:30, 10:05, 10:28, 10:58, 11:35, 12:05 at each of the three visits, scheduled at least 2 weeks apart

  10. Catecholamine Production: Norepinephrine

    All cortisol and catecholamine samples for a subject were frozen after collection and analyzed within the same assay run after the participant had completed the study.

    Measured: 8:30, 10:05, 10:28, 10:58, 11:35, 12:05

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Heart Rate

    Measured: Day 1: 8:30, 9:15, 9:45, 10:00, 10:45, 11:35, 12:05, 12:15

  2. Blood Pressure

    Measured: 7:55 at each of the three visits, scheduled at least 2 weeks apart

  3. Mood: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)Positive

    The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) includes two 10-item mood scales. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 = very slightly or not at all to 5 = extremely, to indicate the extent to which the respondent has felt this way in the indicated time frame. Several additional words were added to better capture low positive affect: happy, satisfied, disappointed, discouraged, low, sad.

    Measured: 7:35, 11:45, 12:30 at each of the three visits, scheduled at least 2 weeks apart

  4. Mood: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)Negative

    The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) includes two 10-item mood scales. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 = very slightly or not at all to 5 = extremely, to indicate the extent to which the respondent has felt this way in the indicated time frame. Several additional words were added to better capture low positive affect: happy, satisfied, disappointed, discouraged, low, sad.

    Measured: 7:35, 11:45, 12:30 at each of the three visits, scheduled at least 2 weeks apart

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Sep 2006 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2005
  3. Primary completionSep 2008
  4. Study completionSep 2008

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Investigator
Enrolment
52 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00371397
Sponsor's protocol ID
2005H0068
Other IDs
R21AT002971-01
Status last verified
Jun 2016
First submitted
31 Aug 2006
Last updated
6 Jul 2016
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Christian L, Preston H, Houts CR, Malarkey WB, Emery CF, Glaser R. Stress, inflammation, and yoga practice. Psychosom Med. 2010 Feb;72(2):113-21. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181cb9377. Epub 2010 Jan 11.

    PubMed 20064902

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Hatha Yoga Classes in people with Healthy, run by Ohio State University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 14 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Jul 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 6 Jul 2011). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Number of Participants With Detectable C-Reactive Protein (CRP) (time frame: 8:30 a.m. at each of the three visits, scheduled at least 2 weeks apart). The study lists 10 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00371397, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Jul 2016.

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Yoga, Immune Function, and Health (NCT00371397) | AzTrials