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CompletedNCT00891488Updated Aug 3, 2010

Stress Resilience Study

An observational study in Oxidative Stress and Aging, sponsored by Kronos Longevity Research Institute. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 60 Years to 80 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2010-08-03.

Sponsored by Kronos Longevity Research Institute · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
80
Ages
60 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that physiological adaptations to regular exercise training (i.e. physical fitness) attenuates age-related decline in stress resilience to both oxidative stress and the neuroendocrine responses to psychosocial stress.

Read the detailed description

Aging is associated with diminished stress resilience, as in reduced ability to manage or recover from acute changes in homeostasis. Increased oxidative damage to cells and tissues and dysregulation of stress hormones have been linked to age-associated chronic diseases including atherosclerosis, cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease. Interventions to improve the body's resistance to stress, resulting in lower oxidative stress and better regulation of the stress hormones, may prevent or delay the onset of age-related diseases and improve quality of life.

Oxidative stress is believed to be a key mechanism in the aging process, with free radicals also implicated in many pathological processes. Similarly, dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is thought to play a role in aging and is linked to the increased risk for age-related chronic disease.

The hormesis theory suggests that a certain amount of stress can lead to better survival and reduced tissue damage following a subsequent, more severe stress. One way to stress the system is through acute exercise. Regular exercise training, however, results in adaptive responses that increase the tolerance for successive (exercise) stress.

A relevant question is whether adaptations to regular exercise training translate to greater resilience to psychosocial stress and an increased capacity to resist acute oxidative stress, thereby providing increased protection from diseases associated with dysregulation of these systems.

This study will investigate stress resilience in two areas related to aging: oxidative stress and the neuroendocrine response to psychosocial stress. The effects of physical fitness on oxidative stress compensation and neuroendocrine stress reactivity will be determined by comparing fit and unfit older men and women. The overall aim of this study is to provide enhanced understanding of the mechanisms by which physical fitness modifies stress resilience in older men and women.

02

Conditions studied

  • Oxidative Stress
  • Aging

Keywords

  • VO2 max
  • stress
  • cortisol
  • fitness
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Kronos Longevity Research Institute is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
60 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Community sample

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Men and post-menopausal women, ages 60-80 years
  • Generally good health by self-report

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Estrogen or testosterone supplementation within the previous 6 months
  • Current smoker
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) > 32 kg/m2
  • Any chronic illness that could affect cortisol levels, including diabetes mellitus, liver or renal disease
  • Evidence of a previous myocardial infarction within the last 6 months by EKG or history of angina or shortness of breath
  • Clinically significant arrhythmia on a resting EKG or significant EKG changes during the baseline VO2max test
  • Any other condition that would contraindicate maximal exercise testing, including elevated blood pressure at rest (systolic BP >140 or diastolic BP >90 mm Hg on at least 2 measurements, at least 10 minutes apart) or musculoskeletal problems
  • Depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI score >17)
  • Use of anti-oxidant supplements, in excess of standard multi-vitamins (1 tablet/day)
05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
80 participants (estimated)
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Fit
  • Unfit
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. F2-isoprostane response to an oxidative challenge (forearm ischemia-reperfusion trial)

    Time frame: Visit 4

  2. Cortisol response (plasma and salivary) to a psychosocial laboratory stressor--Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)

    Time frame: Visit 3

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total antioxidant capacity

    Time frame: Visit 4

  2. ACTH response to TSST

    Time frame: Visit 3

  3. Heart rate response to the TSST

    Time frame: Visit 3

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Kronos Longevity Research Institute
    Phoenix, Arizona 85016, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Traustadottir T, Bosch PR, Matt KS. The HPA axis response to stress in women: effects of aging and fitness. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2005 May;30(4):392-402. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2004.11.002. Epub 2005 Jan 11. PubMed 15694119 ↗
  • Fatouros IG, Jamurtas AZ, Villiotou V, Pouliopoulou S, Fotinakis P, Taxildaris K, Deliconstantinos G. Oxidative stress responses in older men during endurance training and detraining. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 Dec;36(12):2065-72. doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000147632.17450.ff. PubMed 15570141 ↗
  • Vincent HK, Bourguignon C, Vincent KR. Resistance training lowers exercise-induced oxidative stress and homocysteine levels in overweight and obese older adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006 Nov;14(11):1921-30. doi: 10.1038/oby.2006.224. PubMed 17135607 ↗
  • Finkel T, Holbrook NJ. Oxidants, oxidative stress and the biology of ageing. Nature. 2000 Nov 9;408(6809):239-47. doi: 10.1038/35041687. PubMed 11089981 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Jul 2008, a primary completion of May 2010 and a completion of May 2010. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Apr 30, 2009
First posted
May 1, 2009
Start
Jul 2008
Primary completionActual
May 2010
CompletionActual
May 2010
Last update
Aug 3, 2010
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 3, 2010, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00891488
Lead sponsor
Kronos Longevity Research Institute
Collaborators
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
First posted
May 1, 2009
Start date
Jul 2008
Primary completion
May 2010
Completion
May 2010
Last update
Aug 3, 2010

Study contacts

Tinna Traustadóttir, PhD
principal investigator · Kronos Longevity Research Institute

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jul 2010. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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