Tai
Chi boosts immunity to shingles virus in older
adults, NIH-sponsored study reports
Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese form of exercise, may help
older adults avoid getting shingles by
increasing immunity to varicella-zoster virus (VZV)
and boosting the immune response to varicella
vaccine in older adults, according to a new
study publishsed in print this week in the
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
This National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study is the
first rigorous clinical trial to suggest that a
behavioral intervention, alone or in combination
with a vaccine, can help protect older adults
from VZV, which causes both chickenpox and
shingles.
The research was supported by the National Institute on Aging
(NIA) and the National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), both
components of NIH.
The study's print publication follows its online release in
March. The research was conducted by Michael
R. Irwin, M.D., and Richard Olmstead, Ph.D.,
of the University of California at Los
Angeles, and Michael N. Oxman, M.D., of the
University of California at San Diego and
San Diego Veterans Affairs Healthcare
System.
"One in five people who have had chickenpox will get shingles
later in life, usually after age 50, and the
risk increases as people get older," says NIA
Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
"More research is needed, but this study suggests that the
Tai Chi intervention tested, in combination with
immunization, may enhance protection of older
adults from this painful condition."
"Dr. Irwin's research team has demonstrated that a
centuries-old behavioral intervention, Tai Chi,
resulted in a level of immune response similar
to that of a modern biological intervention, the
varicella vaccine, and that Tai Chi boosted the
positive effects of the vaccine," says Andrew
Monjan, Ph.D., chief of the NIA's Neurobiology
of Aging Branch.
The randomized, controlled clinical trial included 112
healthy adults ages 59 to 86 (average age of
70). Each person took part in a 16-week program
of either Tai Chi or a health education program
that provided 120 minutes of instruction weekly.
Tai Chi combines aerobic activity, relaxation
and meditation, which the researchers note have
been reported to boost immune responses. The
health education intervention involved classes
about a variety of health-related topics.
After the 16-week Tai Chi and health education programs, with
periodic blood tests to determine levels of VZV
immunity, people in both groups received a
single injection of VARIVAX, the chickenpox
vaccine that was approved for use in the United
States in 1995. Nine weeks later, the
investigators did blood tests to assess each
participant's level of VZV immunity, comparing
it to immunity at the start of the study. All of
the participants had had chickenpox earlier in
life and so were already immune to that disease.
Tai Chi alone was found to increase participants' immunity to
varicella as much as the vaccine typically
produces in 30- to 40-year-old adults, and Tai
Chi combined with the vaccine produced a
significantly higher level of immunity, about a
40 percent increase, over that produced by the
vaccine alone. The study further showed that the
Tai Chi group's rate of increase in immunity
over the course of the 25-week study was double
that of the health education (control) group.
The Tai Chi and health education groups' VZV
immunity had been similar when the study began.
In addition, the Tai Chi group reported significant
improvements in physical functioning, bodily
pain, vitality and mental health. Both groups
showed significant declines in the severity of
depressive symptoms.
"This study builds upon preliminary research funded by NCCAM
and we are delighted to see this rigorous trial
of Tai Chi for varicella zoster immunity come to
fruition," said Ruth L. Kirschstein, M.D., NCCAM
Acting Director.
###
Shingles, or herpes zoster, affects the nerves, resulting in
pain and blisters in adults. Following a case of
chickenpox, a person's nerve cells can harbor
the varicella-zoster virus. Years later, the
virus can reactivate and lead to shingles. More
information about shingles is available from the
NIA at
http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/shingles.asp
and from
www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov, a Web site
for older adults developed by the NIA and the
National Library of Medicine, also a part of NIH.
More information on Tai Chi can be found on
NCCAM's website at
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/taichi/.
The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting
research on aging and the medical, social and
behavioral issues of older people. For more
information on research and aging, go to
www.nia.nih.gov. Publications on
research and on a variety of topics of interest
on health and aging can be viewed and ordered by
visiting the NIA website or can be ordered by
calling toll-free 1-800-222-2225.
The NCCAM's mission is to explore complementary and
alternative medical (CAM) practices in the
context of rigorous science, train CAM
researchers, and disseminate authoritative
information to the public and professionals. For
additional information, call NCCAM's
Clearinghouse toll-free at 1-888-644-6226, or
visit
www.nccam.nih.gov.
NIH--the nation's medical research agency--includes 27
institutes and centers and is a component of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It
is the primary federal agency for conducting and
supporting basic, clinical and translational
medical research, and it investigates the
causes, treatments and cures for both common and
rare diseases. For more information about NIH
and its programs, visit
www.nih.gov.
Reference: Irwin, M.R., et al. Augmenting immune responses to
varicella zoster virus in older adults: A
randomized, controlled trial of Tai Chi. Journal
of the American Geriatrics Society (2007),
55(4):511-517.
