The Stress-release Effects of Exercise in Obese Are Determined by DS14 Score and T-cell Activation Status

The purpose of the study was to analyze negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) inquired by DS14 score in type D personality (distressed personality) to the relation of autonomic regulation of heart function (HRV) and immune response (T lymphocyte) among obese patients within coronary heart disease group (CHD). As stress is the key psychological activator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) and therefore an important risk factor for diminished immune competency and prevalence of chronic conditions such as obesity, investigators chose exercise as the stress release intervention, especially as chronic stress may have a role in obesity, related to initiation or exacerbation of the condition. Abnormal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is additionally associated with chronic inflammatory conditions. Proinflammatory T-lymphocytes are present in visceral adipose tissue and may contribute to local inflammatory cell activation before the appearance of macrophages, suggesting that these cells could play an important role in the initiation and perpetuation of adipose tissue inflammation.