Abstract
Title: Impact of 20 week integrated yoga practice on T lymphocyte function: A prospective intervention study among healthy volunteers
Background: Integrated Yoga, a combination of physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana), might have a positive impact on cellular immune response which is a prerequisite for eradication of infections.
Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of integrated yoga on cell mediated immunity among healthy subjects by assessing the ability of T lymphocytes to secrete cytokines in whole blood cultures.
Methods and Material: This prospective study with pre-and-post-intervention design was carried out on 44 apparently healthy volunteers at our Yoga and Meditation Centre. Total Interferon-Gamma (γ) levels (IFN-γ), Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels and Interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels produced by activated T lymphocytes (CD4+ and CD8+ cells) were measured using ELISA technique at baseline and after 20 weeks of integrated yoga practice in whole blood cultures. The laboratory data was collected and analyzed.
Results: Sixty three out of 83 volunteered subjects met the selection criteria, of whom only 44 subjects completed the mandatory 20 weeks of the integrated yoga practice and were included in final analysis. There were 29 female and 15 male subjects. Post twenty weeks of integrated yoga practice, the median (inter quartile range, IQR) levels of IFN-γ , TNF-α and IL-2 (expressed in pg/ml) significantly increased in the study subjects as compared to baseline values. The median (IQR) post-intervention vs baseline values for IFN-γ was 356.72 [320.17-377.91] vs. 217.8 [105.47-298.11] with a median difference of 119.91 (95% 127 CI: 74.27-170.66), d = 0.82, z = -4.073 and p = < .001 . The median (IQR) post-intervention vs baseline values for TNF-α was 253.50 [89.06-413.71] vs. 76.02 [56.34-162.62] with a median difference of 114.19 (95% CI:59.92-163.38), d = 0.86, z = -4.610 and p = < .001. The median (IQR) post-intervention vs baseline values for IL-2 was 15.46 [6.33-91.25] vs. 4.70 [2.76-7.48] with a median difference of 16.75 (95% CI: 5.12-91.11), d = 0.82, z = -4.085 and p = < .001.
Conclusions:There was a statistically significant increase in the levels of cytokines produced by activated T lymphocytes after 20 weeks of integrated yoga practice. Hence, we can conclude that practicing integrated yoga can improve the T lymphocyte function and that it can be not only incorporated as a complementary intervention in the treatment of infectious diseases, but also as a preventive strategy to improve the immune status among healthy individuals.
Key words: Integrated yoga, T lymphocytes, cytokines, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-2
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