title: Mitigating cellular inflammation in older adults: a randomized controlled trial of Tai Chi Chih.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of a behavioral intervention, Tai Chi Chih (TCC) on circulating markers of inflammation in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, randomized, controlled trial with allocation to two arms, TCC and health education (HE), 16 weeks of intervention administration, and 9 weeks follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 83 healthy older adults, aged 59 to 86 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary endpoint was circulating levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6). Secondary outcomes were circulating levels of C-reactive protein, soluble IL-1 receptor antagonist, soluble IL-6 receptor, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule, and IL-18. Severity of depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and physical activity was also assessed over the treatment trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among those older adults with high levels of IL-6 at entry, a trend for a treatment group by time interaction was found (F[1,70] = 3.48, p = 0.07), in which TCC produced a drop of IL-6 levels comparable to those found in TCC and HE subgroups who had low levels of IL-6 at entry (t72's = 0.80, 1.63, p's >0.10), whereas IL-6 in HE remained higher than the TCC and HE subgroups with low entry IL-6 (t72 = 2.47, p = 0.02; t72 = 1.71, p = 0.09). Decreases in depressive symptoms in the two treatment groups correlated with decreases of IL-6 (r = 0.28, p <0.05). None of the other cellular markers of inflammation changed in TCC versus HE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TCC can be considered a useful behavioral intervention to reduce circulating levels of IL-6 in older adults who show elevated levels of this inflammatory marker and are at risk for inflammation-related morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. mirwin1@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Olmstead
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D026302:Tai Ji / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D020382:Interleukin-18; D015850:Interleukin-6; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D002097:C-Reactive Protein