Objective: Assessment as to whether moderate intensity systematic balance training (BT) affects the level of IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α in healthy, elder people and in PD patients.

Background: In aging populations, one of the greatest threats to good physical and mental health of the elderly relates to neurodegenerative diseases, among others – PD, manifested in limb tremors, gait and posture disturbances, muscle stiffness. It is believed that physical exercise improves the brain’s performance, inter alia, by inhibiting inflammation.

Method: The study was a controlled, randomized study with a control group. The study involved 40 participants: training group of people with PD (PDBT), n=10; training group of healthy elder individuals (HBT), n=10; non-training PD group, n=10; group of non-training elder, healthy individuals (HNT), n=10. The study participants took part in twelve-week BT based on exercises with an intensity of 60-70% HRmax (three 60-min sessions per week). After twelve weeks, venous blood was collected for biochemical analysis.

Results: Before proceeding to the BT basal plasma IL-10 level was 2.68±1.32 pg/mL in the PDBT group, and 2.62±0.89 pg/mL in the HBT group. After completion of BT, the level significantly increased in both training groups (PDBT: 4.26±2.38 pg/mL (P=0.003); HBT: 4.61±3.20 pg/mL (P=0.035). In the non-training groups, no significant changes in IL-10 concentration were noted. BT did not significantly affect the concentration of IL-6 in the examined groups. After twelve weeks of BT plasma IL-6 level was significantly higher in the PDBT than in the PDNT group (P=0.010). After BT, there was a significant decrease in TNF-α concentration in the PDBT group (1.07±0.32 pg/mL vs. 0.86±0.39 pg/mL, P=0.039). In the remaining cases, no significant changes in TNF-α concentration were noted.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that moderate BT may influence the level of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in healthy, elderly people and in those with PD, contributing to the modulation of inflammatory processes in the body. Regular physical training may be a beneficial type of therapy in PD as well as a potentially preventative and protective element against the development of PD. This research was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant 2018/02/X/NZ7/01635).

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/balance-training-modulates-the-concentration-of-pro-and-anti-inflammatory-cytokines-in-the-plasma-of-elder-people-and-pd-patients-a-pilot-study/