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Inflammatory and growth factor response to continuous and intermittent exercise in youth with cystic fibrosis
Thanh Nguyen1, Joyce Obeid, Hilde E Ploeger
1Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Insights
High-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) effectively boosts growth hormone in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) without increasing inflammation. Moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) elevated inflammatory markers in both CF patients and controls.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric exercise physiology
- Cystic Fibrosis research
- Inflammation and immunology
Background:
- Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) experience chronic inflammation and impaired growth.
- Muscle catabolism is a concern in pediatric CF patients.
- Identifying exercise strategies for anabolic response with minimal inflammation is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) and high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) on inflammation and growth mediators in children with CF.
- To determine if exercise can elicit an anabolic response with minimal inflammation in pediatric CF patients.
Main Methods:
- Twelve children with CF and age-matched controls underwent MICE and HIIE protocols on separate occasions.
- Blood samples were collected at various time points during exercise.
- Analysis included immune cells, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, TWEAK), and growth mediators like growth hormone (GH).
Main Results:
- Children with CF exhibited higher baseline neutrophils and IL-6 compared to controls.
- HIIE did not alter immune cells or cytokines in CF patients.
- MICE increased immune cells and IL-6 in both groups.
- Both exercise types elevated GH, with a more significant increase from rest during MICE.
Conclusions:
- High-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) is a viable method to stimulate growth hormone (GH) in children with cystic fibrosis (CF).
- HIIE does not exacerbate systemic inflammation in pediatric CF patients.
- Further research may explore optimal exercise prescriptions for CF management.
Background:
Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) tend to suffer from chronic systemic inflammation and may have impaired growth associated with muscle catabolism. Therefore, investigating which type of exercise can elicit an anabolic response with minimal inflammation is of clinical value.
Methods:
Twelve children with CF (mean±SD; age: 14.7±2.3 years, predicted FEV(1): 90.0±21.6%) and biological age-matched controls (age: 13.9±2.1 years) completed moderate-intensity, continuous exercise (MICE) and high-intensity, intermittent exercise (HIIE) on separate days. During each exercise, blood was drawn at various time points and analyzed for immune cells, inflammatory cytokines, and growth mediators.
Results:
At rest, children with CF had higher concentrations of neutrophils and IL-6 compared with controls. In children with CF, HIIE did not affect immune cell subsets or cytokines: TNF-α, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK). All immune cell subsets and IL-6 increased significantly with MICE in both groups. Growth hormone (GH) increased with both types of exercise, with a greater change from rest during MICE.
Conclusions:
HIIE was a sufficient stimulus to increase GH in children with CF, without affecting systemic inflammation.
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