Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Biological Psychology, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Complement Ther Med. 2018 Feb;36:68-72. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.11.021. Epub 2017 Dec 2.
Higher age is associated to a variety of physical and mental disorders. Age-related changes in steroid secretion have been suggested to be an underlying mechanism leading to frailty, depression, and sexual dysfunction. However, Tai chi qigong and similar forms of exercise have been shown to improve a great variety of health-related parameters in older individuals.
We examined 56 self-reporting healthy men actively practicing Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu and 55 age-matched self-reporting healthy controls. Saliva samples were obtained in a standardized procedure for subsequent quantification of circulating testosterone and cortisol levels. In addition, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and sexual health were assessesd via self-report questionnaires.
Age was negatively associated with testosterone, while no association emerged for cortisol. Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu training was neither associated with testosterone nor cortisol. More weekly Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu training (4 or more times per week) was instead associated with a lower CT-ratio, less depressive symptoms, and higher life satisfaction compared to individuals, who trained only one to three times per week. More years of Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu training were associated with less depressive symptoms and higher life satisfaction but not with the CT-ratio. No significant associations emerged for Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu training and sexual health. When compared to the age-matched controls, there is a significant effect of Tai chi, qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu on the CT-ratio. Contrast analyses revealed a significantly lower CT-ratio for the high training load group in contrast to the low training load group. Further, in contrast to the control group, the low training load group exhibits a significantly higher CT-ratio. For depression, contrast analyses revealed a significantly lower level of depression in the high training load group compared to the control group.
The results indicate that Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu training is beneficially associated with steroid secretion patterns and mental health in aging men, when training is performed with a frequency of 4 or more trainings per week. However, the high frequency training and control group show similar steroid secretion patterns suggesting an inverted U-shaped association between Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu training frequency and the CT-ratio in aging men. More research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of this association. Still, Tai chi qigong and/or self-defense Kung-fu training provides a promising prevention strategy against age-related physical and mental deterioration in aging men.
年龄较高与各种身体和精神障碍有关。类固醇分泌的年龄相关性变化被认为是导致虚弱、抑郁和性功能障碍的潜在机制。然而，太极拳和气功等类似的运动形式已被证明可以改善老年人的各种健康相关参数。
我们检查了 56 名自我报告的健康男性，他们积极练习太极拳和气功和/或自我防卫功夫，以及 55 名年龄匹配的自我报告的健康对照组。通过标准化程序获得唾液样本，以随后量化循环睾酮和皮质醇水平。此外，通过自我报告问卷评估抑郁症状、生活满意度和性健康。
年龄与睾酮呈负相关，而皮质醇则没有相关性。太极拳和气功和/或自我防卫功夫训练与睾酮或皮质醇均无关。与每周仅训练 1 到 3 次的人相比，每周训练 4 次或更多次的人更有可能出现较低的 CT 比值、较少的抑郁症状和更高的生活满意度。更多年的太极拳和气功和/或自我防卫功夫训练与较少的抑郁症状和更高的生活满意度相关，但与 CT 比值无关。太极拳和气功和/或自我防卫功夫训练与性健康之间没有显著关联。与年龄匹配的对照组相比，太极拳、气功和/或自我防卫功夫对 CT 比值有显著影响。对比分析显示，高训练负荷组的 CT 比值明显低于低训练负荷组。此外，与对照组相比，低训练负荷组的 CT 比值明显较高。对于抑郁，对比分析显示，高训练负荷组的抑郁水平明显低于对照组。
结果表明，当每周训练 4 次或更多次时，太极拳和气功和/或自我防卫功夫训练与衰老男性的类固醇分泌模式和心理健康有益相关。然而，高频率训练组和对照组的类固醇分泌模式相似，这表明太极拳和气功和/或自我防卫功夫训练频率与 CT 比值之间存在倒 U 形关联。需要进一步研究来阐明这种关联的潜在机制。尽管如此，太极拳和气功和/或自我防卫功夫训练为衰老男性提供了一种有前途的预防策略，可以防止与年龄相关的身体和精神恶化。
