The Potential of Exercise on Lifestyle and Skin Function: Narrative Review.

BACKGROUND: The skin is an important organ of the human body and has moisturizing and barrier functions. Factors such as sunlight and lifestyle significantly affect these skin functions, with sunlight being extremely damaging. The effects of lifestyle habits such as smoking, diet, and sleep have been studied extensively. It has been found that smoking increases the risk of wrinkles, while excessive fat and sugar intake leads to skin aging. Lack of sleep and stress are also dangerous for the skin's barrier function. In recent years, the impact of exercise habits on skin function has been a focus of study. Regular exercise is associated with increased blood flow to the skin, elevated skin temperature, and improved skin moisture. Furthermore, it has been shown to improve skin structure and rejuvenate its appearance, possibly through promoting mitochondrial biosynthesis and affecting hormone secretion. Further research is needed to understand the effects of different amounts and content of exercise on the skin. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to briefly summarize the relationship between lifestyle and skin function and the mechanisms that have been elucidated so far and introduce the expected effects of exercise on skin function. METHODS: We conducted a review of the literature using PubMed and Google Scholar repositories for relevant literature published between 2000 and 2022 with the following keywords: exercise, skin, and life habits. RESULTS: Exercise augments the total spectrum power density of cutaneous blood perfusion by a factor of approximately 8, and vasodilation demonstrates an enhancement of approximately 1.5-fold. Regular exercise can also mitigate age-related skin changes by promoting mitochondrial biosynthesis. However, not all exercise impacts are positive; for instance, swimming in chlorinated pools may harm the skin barrier function. Hence, the exercise environment should be considered for its potential effects on the skin. CONCLUSIONS: This review demonstrates that exercise can potentially enhance skin function retention.

Effects of regular exercise on skin moisturizing function in adults.

Among lifestyle habits, the effect of exercise on skin moisturizing function has not been studied. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the effect of regular exercise on skin moisturizing function. The participants were 30-64 years old with no history of skin diseases and no exercise habits at the start of the study. The intervention group (n=9) continued to exercise at least 600 Mets/week for 8 weeks, while the control group (n=28) followed conventional lifestyle habits for 8 weeks. Questionnaires regarding lifestyle habits were administered at the beginning and after 8 weeks, and skin moisturizing function (stratum corneum hydration: SC hydration, Trans-Epidermal Water Loss: TEWL) was measured. Analysis of covariance was performed using sex, age, and measurements at the start of the study as covariates. Analysis of covariance showed that after 8 weeks of "moderate" or "higher" exercise, there was a trend toward higher SC hydration in the intervention group compared to that in the control group (p=0.083, η2=0.10). There was no difference in TEWL after 8 weeks (p=0.864, η2=0.00). These results suggest that regular exercise may help maintain and improve skin moisturizing function.

Work-related factors related to forgetting to take oral diabetes medication during the working day among Japanese male employees with diabetes.

AIM: This study aimed to explore the work-related factors related to forgetting to take oral diabetes medication during the working day among Japanese employees with diabetes. METHODS: This worksite-based study was designed to clarify the important work-related factors for preventing the aggravation of diabetes among working-age people and support for coexisting diabetes treatment and work (Ryoritsu Shien). This cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2018. The participants were full-time employees with type 2 diabetes aged over 40 years who took oral diabetes medication during the working day. The participants were classified into forgetting and non-forgetting groups. Their characteristics and work-related factors were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire and specific health checkup data. RESULTS: Of the 93 employees with diabetes, 22 (23.7%) were classified into the forgetting group. After adjusting for confounding factors, irregular meal times during the working day was positively associated with forgetting to take oral diabetes medication during the working day [multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (OR), 7.08; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38-36.32, irregular vs. regular]. Skipping meals during the working day was positively associated with forgetting to take oral diabetes medication during the working day (multivariable-adjusted OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.14-11.09 presence vs. absence). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that irregular meal times and skipping meals during the working day are important factors related to forgetting to take oral diabetes medication during the working day among Japanese male employees with diabetes.

Work-related, personal, and diabetes-related factors relevant to dropout from outpatient diabetes treatment visits among Japanese male employees with diabetes.

AIM: In recent years, support for coexisting diabetes treatment and work (Ryoritsu Shien) has become increasingly important for employees with diabetes. It is important to identify factors associated with dropout from outpatient visits for diabetes treatment among employees with diabetes to determine appropriate support to prevent dropout. Therefore, we explored work-related, personal, and diabetes-related factors relevant for dropout from outpatient diabetes treatment visits among Japanese employees with diabetes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018. Participants were 140 full-time employees with type 2 diabetes aged over 40 years. Participants were classified into two groups: a dropout group and a continuation group. Work-related, personal, and diabetes-related factors were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire and specific health checkup data. RESULTS: Of the 140 employees with diabetes, 12 (8.6%) were classified in the dropout group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed three factors associated with a lower risk for dropout from diabetes treatment outpatient visits. These were: high supervisor support, as measured by the Job Content Questionnaire (multivariable-adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-0.97, per 1 score); older age (multivariable-adjusted OR 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66-0.95, per 1 year); and presence of metabolic syndrome (multivariable-adjusted OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01-0.28, presence vs. absence). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that supervisor support, age, and metabolic syndrome are important factors related to dropout from outpatient diabetes treatment visits among Japanese male employees with diabetes.

Associations among work-related stress and mental fatigue, and regular exercise in Japanese employees with or without diabetes.

AIM: Understanding work-related factors associated with regular exercise in employees could be useful for determining appropriate interventions to prevent the onset and aggravation of diabetes. This study aimed to assess the associations among work-related stress and mental fatigue, and regular exercise in Japanese employees with or without diabetes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018, and included 2916 full-time employees aged older than 40 years without cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, kidney disease, disc herniation, and depression. Work-related stress was measured by the Job Content Questionnaire and work-related mental fatigue was measured using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). RESULTS: Regular exercise was present in 23.9% of 117 employees with diabetes and in 21.3% of 2799 employees without diabetes. In employees with diabetes, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for regular exercise were 0.26 (0.07-0.96) in those with an NRS score of 4-6 (moderate) and 0.22 (0.06-0.85) in those with an NRS score of 7-10 (severe) compared with those with an NRS score of 0-3 (none or mild), after adjusting for confounding factors. Similarly, in employees without diabetes, the multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for regular exercise were 0.77 (0.62-0.97) in those with an NRS score of 4-6 and 0.75 (0.59-0.94) in those with an NRS score of 7-10 compared with those with an NRS score of 0-3. CONCLUSIONS: Work-related mental fatigue was negatively associated with regular exercise in employees with and without diabetes.

The effects of examination stress on salivary cortisol, immunoglobulin A, and chromogranin A in nursing students.

This study aimed to assess the effects of examination stress on salivary cortisol, immunoglobulin A (IgA), and chromogranin A (CgA) in nursing students. Saliva samples were collected from 15 healthy females before and immediately after the one-hour examination, and two hours after the examination. Salivary cortisol, IgA, and CgA concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Both IgA and CgA concentrations statistically increased immediately after the examination (P < 0.05) and decreased two hours after the examination. No significant differences were observed between before and after the examination in the salivary cortisol concentration. These findings suggest that the acute stress due to the examination is associated with raised salivary IgA and CgA, but not cortisol.