Establishing exercise standards for oral care and infection prevention

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16613
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Osaka Seikei University (2018); Osaka Seikei College (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: usui tatsuya 大阪成蹊大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (00638132)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 口腔内免疫 / 唾液 / ストレス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Our research program aims to establish exercise standards for oral care and prevention of infections, such as pneumonia, in the middle-aged and elderly populations. To achieve our goals, we examined the role of exercise in terms of its intensity, frequency, type and stress response with respect to the change in immune function in the oral cavity . In 2016, we implemented a 1-year exercise intervention, and examined its effects on healthy middle-aged and elderly subjects with no prior exercise habits. In 2017, we performed our second study in which we investigated whether regular exercise performed over a 1-year period by healthy middle-aged and elderly populations prevents the reduction of immune function in the oral cavity under stress. We examined whether regular fitness training was effective in preventing immune dysfunction and found that moderate to vigorous exercise (1-5 times/ week) is effective in restoring immune function in the oral cavity after transient stress.

Free Research Field

運動生理学、運動免疫学、スポーツ医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで唾液免疫機能の指標として免疫グロブリンAが用いられてきたが，口腔ケア（虫歯・歯周病）や肺炎予防の観点から捉えると唾液抗菌性ペプチド群に着目すべきである．しかしながら，唾液抗菌性ペプチド群に着目した研究は少なく，それらを高めるための運動については確立されていない．我々はこれまでに抗菌性ペプチドの低下が虫歯菌の活性化につながることを明らかにしてきた．今回，抗菌性ペプチド群の発現を高める運動として、週1回以上の運動の実践、さらには水中運動やレジスタンス運動などの筋への加重負荷運動が有効であることが示された．本研究は，高齢者に対する筋力トレーニングの必要性を運動免疫学の観点から支持できる．