Effects of Winter Swimming on Blood Indicators and Oxidative Stress in Males

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Cold Exposure
• Interventions: Other: winter swimming

• Registration Number: NCT06223087
• Lead Sponsor: University School of Physical Education, Krakow, Poland

Brief Summary

Exposure of the human body to cold water triggers numerous beneficial physiological changes. The study aimed to assess the impact of regular winter swimming on blood morphological, rheological, and biochemical indicators and activity of antioxidant enzymes in males. The study includes winter swimmers and a control group. Blood samples were taken twice - before the start (November) of the winter swimming season and after its end (March). The average duration of ice water baths was 3-5 minutes, with a minimum frequency of once a week. The water temperature during the swimming did not exceed 10°C, approaching 0°C during the winter period.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-01-01
• Study First Submitted: 2023-12-30
• Primary Completion: 2023-12-31
• Status Verified: 2024-01
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-01-15
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-01-15
• Study First Posted: 2024-01-25
• Last Update Posted: 2024-01-25
• Study Completion: 2024-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

• Good health, practitioners of winter swimming
• control group: never did winter swimming and had a sedentary lifestyle.

Exclusion Criteria

• medical contraindications to winter bathing

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
winter swimmers	winter swimming	group practicing winter swimming

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
blood sampling: haemoglobin mass	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of: mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) \[pg\],
blood sampling: Erythrocytes	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) \[fl\], red blood cell distribution width standard deviation (RDW-SD) \[fl\],
blood sampling: haemoglobin	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of: Haemoglobin \[g/dl\], mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) \[g/dl\],
blood sampling: erythrocytes	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Measurement of: Erythrocytes \[mln/μl\],
blood sampling: haematocrit	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of: haematocrit \[%\], red blood cell distribution width coefficient of variation (RDW-CV) \[%\],
blood sampling: rheology part 1	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of red cell elongation index (EI) \[arbitrary unit: AU\], erythrocyte aggregation amplitude (AMP) \[AU\],
blood sampling: rheology part 2	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of: aggregation index (AI) \[%\],
blood sampling:rheology part 3	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of: half-time of total aggregation (t1/2) \[s\].
blood sampling: platelets and leukocytes	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Measurements of: Platelets \[thousands/μl\], Leukocytes \[thousands/μl\], Neutrophils \[thousands/μl\], Eosinophils \[thousands/μl\], Basophils \[thousands/μl\], Lymphocytes \[thousands/μl\], Monocytes \[thousands/μl\].
blood sampling: oxidative stress - superoxide dismutase	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD) \[U/ml\],
blood sampling: Testosterone	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of Testosterone concentration \[ng/dl\],
blood sampling: Cortisol	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of Cortisol concentration \[µg/dl\],
blood biochemistry: Creatine	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Determination of Creatinine concentration \[µmol/l\],
blood sampling: oxidative stress	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Measurement of catalase (CAT) \[nmol/min/ml\], and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) \[nmol/min/ml\].
blood biochemistry: Urea	twice: before the start of cold swimming in November and 5 months later (March), after the end of winter swimming	Measurement of: Urea \[mmol/l\].

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Physical Education; 🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland