%0 Journal Article
%@ 1929-073X
%I JMIR Publications
%V 13
%N 
%P e60942
%T Whole-Body Cryotherapy Reduces Systemic Inflammation in Healthy Adults: Pilot Cohort Study
%A Chun,Elizabeth
%A Joseph,Richard
%A Pojednic,Rachele
%+ Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, 3180 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, United States, 1 6178337372, rpojedni@stanford.edu
%K cold therapy
%K C-reactive protein
%K fasting glucose
%K HbA1c
%K inflammation
%K lipid metabolism
%K whole-body cryotherapy
%K cryotherapy
%K retrospective
%K reactive protein
%K biomarker
%K adult
%K systemic inflammation
%D 2024
%7 22.11.2024
%9 Original Paper
%J Interact J Med Res
%G English
%X Background: Chronically elevated inflammation is implicated in many conditions, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease, and has been associated with increased mortality risk. Whole-body cryotherapy (W-BC) is a promising modality to treat inflammation with demonstrated benefits for clinical subpopulations including those with arthritis, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. However, it is unclear whether the benefit from W-BC extends to healthy individuals prior to chronic disease–related inflammation. In addition, the long-term durability of W-BC effect is unknown. Objective: This study investigates the inflammatory response to W-BC in healthy adults with a biomarker of inflammation, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and clinical biomarkers of metabolism including fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides. Methods: Fifteen individuals (n=9 female) participated in frequent recreational W-BC (3 minutes of cold exposure at –110 ℃) over approximately 9 months and had blood draws at baseline plus follow-up visits. Biomarkers were modeled as linear functions of W-BC sessions received in the month prior to blood draw. Results: The mean amount of W-BC received was 6.78 (SD 4.26) times per month with the cumulative total ranging from 13 to 157 W-BC sessions over the course of the study. On average, participants completed 1-2 sessions per week throughout the intervention. The number of W-BC sessions were associated with decreased hsCRP (–0.14 mg/L in hsCRP per W-BC session; P<.01) and with durability of up to 9 months. Increased W-BC was also associated with a downward trend in fasting glucose. This trend failed to reach significance at 1 month (–0.73 mg/dL in fasting glucose per W-BC session; P<.10) but was significant for 2- and 3-month windows (P<.05). HbA1c was increased significantly after 9 months (P<.01); however, the change occurred within normal ranges (difference=0.13% and <5.7%) and was not clinically significant. There was no association between W-BC and LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, or triglycerides (P>.10), although LDL trended lower over the time period examined (P=.07). Conclusions: These results suggest that W-BC beneficially impacts systemic inflammation by lowering hsCRP levels in healthy individuals and may also have some modulating effect on fasting glucose. 
%M 39576692
%R 10.2196/60942
%U https://www.i-jmr.org/2024/1/e60942
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/60942
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39576692