Healing-Helper

Whether it is a cut from a kitchen knife or a surgical incision, the faster a wound heals, the better. But as people age, wound healing slows. Now, researchers at Ohio State University have identified a very unique healing-helper -- exercise.

The study, led by Charles F. Emery, PhD, professor of psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus, included 28 healthy adults, average age 61, who had not exercised for at least the prior six months and who perceived themselves as not stressed. One half of the group started an exercise program that consisted of 75 minutes of warm up, cool down, aerobic and strength training, three times a week, while the others continued to be sedentary. A month later, all participants received a tiny puncture wound in their upper arm that was then monitored for its rate of healing. The study also measured participants' levels of the stress hormone cortisol both before and after a stress test conducted prior to the study and again at the study's completion.

THE RESULTS

Exercisers healed faster, in 29 days versus 39 for the nonexercisers. Doctors were not surprised to see that exercise sped healing, given that it typically increases nutrients to and wastes from the site, but the second finding concerning changes in cortisol levels was quite another story.

Exercise normally causes an immediate rise in cortisol levels, but after the initial stress test, neither groups' cortisol levels rose. This peculiar result indicates that age slows the body's ability to regulate cortisol. Such a disregulation would indeed hinder healing because cortisol plays a role in increasing efficiency of the immune system.

After the post-study stress test, cortisol levels did increase in the exercise group. Dr. Emery says that this finding leads them to believe that exercise enhances cortisol regulation and seems to combat even the natural decline of regulation that comes with age. This also shows that exercise enhances wound healing.

Although the exercise group partook in vigorous activity, Dr. Emery says that doing less more often would be equally beneficial for healing. He advises the usual recommendation of 30 minutes a day, most days of the week.

While a 10-mile hike won't have the cut on your finger gone by dinner, exercise's impact on wound healing is yet one more reason to incorporate regular exercise into your life.

Be well, Carole Jackson, Bottom Line's Daily Health News

Sources:

Healing-Helper

Charles F. Emery, PhD, professor of psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus.