Effects of woodland walking on salivary stress markers cortisol and chromogranin A
Summary Objective We investigated the effect of walking through woodland on salivary endocrinological stress markers, cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA). Design From 20 healthy males, saliva samples were collected immediately before and after the walk, and 20 min and 40 min after that. In addition, u...
Saved in:
Published in | Complementary therapies in medicine Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 29 - 34 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Scotland
Elsevier Ltd
01.02.2013
Elsevier Limited |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Summary Objective We investigated the effect of walking through woodland on salivary endocrinological stress markers, cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA). Design From 20 healthy males, saliva samples were collected immediately before and after the walk, and 20 min and 40 min after that. In addition, using visual analog scales, subjective perceptions of stress and of feeling tired and uplifted were evaluated. On another day, as a control, they sat around in their office and samples were collected at the same times. Salivary cortisol and CgA levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Samples taken after the walk showed a significant increase in the levels of CgA. Meanwhile, there was no significant change in the levels of cortisol. In control samples, there was a statistically significant decrease in the levels of both CgA and cortisol. Feelings uplifted and tired increased and subjective perception of stress decreased significantly after the walk. During the control period, there were no such changes. Conclusion These findings suggest that, while walking in woodland becomes a physical stressor, such activity may also bring about feeling uplifted. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0965-2299 1873-6963 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.ctim.2012.11.004 |