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

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

Official Title
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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

Conditions
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Healthy Males

Intervention / Treatment
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* Diagnostic Test: The exercise 60 minutes, 3 times per week, on a bicycle ergometer followed by a 30-minute dry Finish sauna treatment.
* Diagnostic Test: The same exercise training program without the sauna treatments


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 25 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: This study used a randomized, parallel group design. The participants were randomly assigned to exercise training (ET) without or with post-exercise sauna treatments (ET+S) by using a permuted blocks of block size 4. design with a computer.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: The group (ET+S )<br>Participants exercised 60 minutes, 3 times per week, on a bicycle ergometer followed by a 30-minute dry Finish sauna treatment. | Diagnostic Test: The exercise 60 minutes, 3 times per week, on a bicycle ergometer followed by a 30-minute dry Finish sauna treatment.<br>* 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.<br>* Other names: ET+S;|
| Active Comparator: The group (ET)<br>Participants exercised 60 minutes, 3 times per week | Diagnostic Test: The same exercise training program without the sauna treatments<br>* 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.<br>* Other names: ET;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 
| 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 | 
| 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 Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 
| 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 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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gut microbiota, exercise, sauna bathing, intestinal barrier