Improvement in cardio-metabolic health and immune signatures in old individuals using daily chores (Salat) as an intervention: A randomized crossover study in a little-studied population

BACKGROUND: Decline in cardio-metabolic health, immunity, and physical activity is associated with old age. Old people also find it difficult to engage in structured exercise programs. Therefore, there is a need to investigate common daily chores as an alternative for exercise that may also help in maintaining cardio-metabolic and immune health. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate whether Salat, an obligatory Islamic prayer involving various physical movements and closely resembling yoga, enhances the benefits conferred by the current guidelines for physical activity. METHODS: A total of 30 overweight adults (mean (SD) age of 53.5 (8.7) years) participated in this study. For a 4-week duration, we compared the effects of Salat before/after meals (Pre-MS/Post-MS) on selected immunological and metabolic parameters in serum samples. We also compared the effects of both Pre-MS/Post-MS regimens in young and old subjects to observe any age-related effects. RESULTS: Most of the baseline metabolic parameters and the count of immune cells were normal. Post-MS resulted in a significant reduction in body weight and percent body fat (%BF). Overall, Post-MS resulted in a clear leukocytosis with a significant increase in granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes. When analyzing the lymphocyte compartment, a clear numerical increase was noted for T, B, and NK cells. The number of CD8+ T cells showed a statistically significant increase. Similarly, Post-MS induced leukocytosis in both young and old individuals, while the increase in granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes was statistically significant in old subjects only. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the Islamic obligatory and congressional Salat practice is capable of mimicking desirable pro-immune and pro-metabolic health effects. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: (UMIN000048901).