Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
NATURE | NEWS
Behaviouraltrainingreducesinflammation
Researchsubjectssuppressimmuneresponsesusingphysicalconditioning.
HeidiLedford
05May2014
RadiusImages/Getty
Theeffectivenessofmeditationandothertechniqueshelpsexplicatelinksbetweentheimmuneand
nervoussystems.
DutchcelebritydaredevilWimHofhasenduredlengthyicewaterbaths,hikedtothetopofMountKilimanjaroinshortsandmadehismarkinGuinness
WorldRecordswithhisabilitytowithstandcold.Nowhehasmadeamarkonscienceaswell.
ResearchershaveusedHofsmethodsofmentalandphysicalconditioningtotrain12volunteerstofendoffinflammation.
Theresults,publishedtodayintheProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences 1,suggestthatpeoplecanlearnto
modulatetheirimmuneresponsesafindingthathasraisedhopesforpatientswhohavechronicinflammatorydisorders
suchasrheumatoidarthritisandinflammatoryboweldisease. Europeanagencyto
mandatetransparency
ofclinicaltrials
Theresultsareonlypreliminary,warnsstudyfirstauthorMatthijsKox,whoinvestigatesimmuneresponsesatRadboud
Agiant,global,
UniversityMedicalCenterinNijmegen,theNetherlands.Koxsaysthatpeoplewithinflammatorydisorderssometimeshear
orbiting,quantum
abouthisexperimentsandcalltoaskwhetherthetrainingwouldenablethemtoreducetheirmedication.Wesimplydonot
entangledclock
yetknowthat,hesays. Genomesreveal
surprisingdiversityof
Still,theworkstandsoutasanillustrationoftheinteractionsbetweenthenervoussystemandtheimmunesystem,says preColumbianMexico
GiuseppeMatarese,animmunologistattheUniversityofSalernoinItaly,whowasnotinvolvedwiththestudy.Thisstudyis
anicewaytoshowthatlink,hesays.Orthodoxneurobiologistsandorthodoximmunologistshavebeensceptical.They
thinkthestudyoftheinteractionsbetweenthenervousandimmunesystemsisafieldintheshadows,hesays.
Coldblooded
In2010,asagraduatestudent,Koxwasexploringhowthenervoussysteminfluencesimmuneresponses.That'swhenhefirstlearnedthatHofhadsaid
thathecouldregulatenotonlyhisownbodytemperature,butalsohisimmunesystem.Wethought,Alright,letsgivehimachance,saysKox.Butwe
thoughtitwouldbeanegativeresult.
Kox,andhisadviser,physicianandstudycoauthorPeterPickkers,alsoatRadboudUniversityMedicalCenter,invitedHoftotheirlabtoinvestigatehow
hewouldreacttotheirstandardinflammationtest.Itinvolvesexposuretoabacterialtoxin,madebyEscherichiacoli,toinducetemporaryfever,
headacheandshivering.
ToKoxssurprise,Hofsresponsetothetoxinwasmilderthanthatofmostpeoplehehadlesssevereflulikesymptoms,forexample,andlowerlevels
ofinflammatoryproteinsinhisblood2.
Nextcamethelateststudy,whichincluded24volunteers.HalfofthemtravelledtoPolandtoundergoHofstrainingprogramme,whichincluded
swimminginfrigidwaterandlyingbarechestedinthesnow,aswellasbreathingandmeditationexercises.TherecruitsreturnedtotheNetherlandsand
underwenttheinflammationtest,performingtheirbreathingexercisesastheyreceivedtheirtoxininjections.Theother12volunteersunderwentthetest
withoutanytraining.
http://www.nature.com/news/behavioural-training-reduces-inflammation-1.15156 1/2
17-6-2014 Behavioural training reduces inflammation : Nature News & Comment
Alteredstates
Onaverage,recruitswhounderwenttrainingbyHofreportedfewerflulikesymptomsthanthosewhodidnot.Trainedrecruitsalsoproducedlower
amountsofseveralproteinsassociatedwithinflammation,andhigherlevelsofaninflammationfightingproteincalledinterleukin10.
Koxsuspectsthatthebreathingtechniqueswerethebiggestcontributortosuppressinginflammatoryresponses.Thirtyminutesafterstartingthe
breathingexercisesbutbeforethetoxinhadbeeninjectedtrainedparticipantsbegantoproducemoreadrenaline,ahormoneinvolvedinstress
andimmuneresponses.
KoxandPickkersnowhopetoisolatetheeffectsofthebreathingexercisesandconducttheexperimentwithmorevolunteers.Theyalsowarnthattheir
researchlooksonlyatshortterminflammation.Howtheresultsapplytochronicconditionsisstillunclear.
Butthecurrentstudyshouldhelpexplicatethelinkbetweenthenervoussystemandimmuneresponses,saysKevinTracey,aphysicianandthe
presidentoftheFeinsteinInstituteforMedicalResearchinManhassett,NewYork.Youcantunderstandimmunitywithoutunderstandingitsneural
regulation,hesays.Andtheyhavefoundonesuchregulatorycircuitthatcanbemodulated.
Nature doi:10.1038/nature.2014.15156
References
1. Kox,M.etal.Proc.NatlAcad.Sci.USAhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1322174111(2014).
Showcontext PubMed
2. Kox,M.etal.Psychosom.Med.74,489494(2012).
Showcontext Article PubMed ISI ChemPort
Forthebestcommentingexperience,pleaseloginorregisterasauserandagreetoourCommunityGuidelines.Youwillberedirectedbacktothispage
whereyouwillseecommentsupdatinginrealtimeandhavetheabilitytorecommendcommentstootherusers.
1comment Subscribetocomments
dratman 2014051903:43AM
Whatkindofbreathingexercises?
SeeotherNews&CommentarticlesfromNature
2014NaturePublishingGroup,adivisionofMacmillanPublishersLimited.AllRightsReserved.
partnerofAGORA,HINARI,OARE,INASP,CrossRefandCOUNTER
http://www.nature.com/news/behavioural-training-reduces-inflammation-1.15156 2/2