The Influence of Ambient Temperature Changes on the Indicators of Inflammation and Oxidative Damage in Blood after Submaximal Exercise

Abstract

Physical activity has a positive effect on human health and well-being, but intense exercise can cause adverse changes in the organism, leading to the development of oxidative stress and inflammation. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of short-term cold water immersion (CWI) and a sauna bath as methods of postexercise regeneration on the indicators of inflammation and oxidative damage in the blood of healthy recreational athletes. Forty-five male volunteers divided into two groups: ‘winter swimmers’ who regularly use winter baths (n = 22, average age 43.2 ± 5.9 years) and ‘novices’ who had not used winter baths regularly before (n = 23, mean age 25 ± 4.8 years) participated in the study. The research was divided into two experiments, differing in the method of postexercise regeneration used, CWI (Experiment I) and a sauna bath (Experiment II). During Experiment I, the volunteers were subjected to a 30-min aerobic exercise, combined with a 20-min rest at room temperature (RT-REST) or a 20-min rest at room temperature with an initial 3-min 8 °C water bath (CWI-REST). During the Experiment II, the volunteers were subjected to the same aerobic exercise, followed by a RT-REST or a sauna bath (SAUNA-REST). The blood samples were taken before physical exercise (control), immediately after exercise and 20 min after completion of regeneration. The concentrations of selected indicators of inflammation, including interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), as well as the activity of indicators of oxidative damage: α1-antitrypsin (AAT) and lysosomal enzymes, including arylsulfatase A (ASA), acid phosphatase (AcP) and cathepsin D (CTS D), were determined. CWI seems to be a more effective post-exercise regeneration method to reduce the inflammatory response compared to a sauna bath. A single sauna bath is associated with the risk of proteolytic tissue damage, but disturbances of cellular homeostasis are less pronounced in people who regularly use cold water baths than in those who are not adapted to thermal stress.

The Effect of Physical Activity and Repeated Whole-Body Cryotherapy on the Expression of Modulators of the Inflammatory Response in Mononuclear Blood Cells among Young Men

“…The interplay between exercise, cytokine levels, oxidative stress, and radical formation, and how WBC influences these relationships, warrants further investigation. Integrating findings from other studies, and those from this investigation, allows us to highlight the complex influence of WBC on cytokine modulation and immune dynamics, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic modality in sports and broader health contexts [39,[50][51][52].…”

The Influence of Winter Swimming on Oxidative Stress Indicators in the Blood of Healthy Males

“…Cold is often used in medicine to reduce inflammation [ 14 ]. As a result of winter swimming, physiological changes occur immediately, while repeated exposure to cold develops adaptive mechanisms that also affect health [ 15 ].…”

The Impact of Neck Cooling on Serum Oxidant/Antioxidant Status and HSP70 Levels during High-Intensity Cycling

“…It has been suggested that external cooling strategies-such as cooling garments, cold-water immersion (CWI), and fanning-can reduce thermal strain by increasing the core-to-skin temperature gradient and improving thermal perception [5,8,9]. It has been reported that implementing these cooling strategies can be effective not only in suppressing the increase in body temperature caused by exercise but also in relieving various stresses on the body, such as oxidative stress (OS), inflammation, and muscle damage [10,11]. Pawłowska et al [10] reported that CWI alleviated the exercise-induced inflammatory response after 30 min of cycling at a 70% maximum heart rate (HR) intensity in healthy adult males.…”

“…It has been reported that implementing these cooling strategies can be effective not only in suppressing the increase in body temperature caused by exercise but also in relieving various stresses on the body, such as oxidative stress (OS), inflammation, and muscle damage [10,11]. Pawłowska et al [10] reported that CWI alleviated the exercise-induced inflammatory response after 30 min of cycling at a 70% maximum heart rate (HR) intensity in healthy adult males. Lindsay et al [11] reported that, after mixed martial arts training, CWI could reduce the levels of urinary neopterin and total neopterin-which are OS markers-and alleviate delayed-onset muscle soreness.…”

“…Cooling garments such as neck collars, ice towels, and cooling packs have been reported to have the following advantages: they are easy to apply and implement, can be provided in various shapes and sizes to suit the type of sport, and can be set to a specific cooling temperature [5,7]. Accordingly, several studies have reported the positive effects of neck collars [5,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Tyler et al [12] reported that a cooling collar can significantly increase a 15 min running exercise performance.…”