This study examined the acute effects of relaxation training on salivary cortisol and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA). Members of age- and gender-matched undergraduate student pairs were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Forty-one experimental subjects were led through Abbreviated Progressive Relaxation Training (APRT) during a 1-h laboratory session; 14 control subjects merely sat quietly in the laboratory for an equal amount of time. All subjects provided pre- and post-intervention saliva samples and self-report data on state anxiety, perceived stress, and relaxation levels. Heart rate was also monitored immediately before and after APRT or quiet sitting. Results indicated that a brief relaxation exercise led to experimental subjects having significantly lower levels of post-intervention salivary cortisol (p = .036) and significantly higher levels of post-intervention sIgA concentration (p < .001) and secretion rate (p < .001) than control subjects. The data suggest that relaxation training may play a role in immunoenhancement.

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MARTIN, CORBY K., PATRICK M. O'NEIL, AND LAURA PAWLOW. Changes in food cravings during lowcalorie and very-low-calorie diets. Obesity. 2006;14: 115-121. Objective: This study examined food cravings during a primarily food-based low-calorie diet (LCD) and a supplement-based very-LCD (VLCD). Research Methods and Procedures:The Food Craving Inventory (FCI) was used to measure general cravings and cravings for specific types of foods (sweets, high fats, carbohydrates/starches, and fast food fats). The FCI was completed by participants in the LCD and VLCD programs at baseline and after 11 weeks of dieting. The VLCD group also completed the FCI at Week 6 and after 5 weeks of a refeeding phase, when their diet consisted primarily of solid food. Results: From baseline to Week 12, craving decreases were greater for the VLCD group than for the LCD group on all measures. All craving measures decreased significantly for the VLCD group. The LCD group experienced a marginally significant decrease in sweet cravings. Within the VLCD group, all craving measures decreased significantly by Week 6 and did not change thereafter, including after resumption of solid food intake, and craving scores during all dieting points were lower than baseline. Changes in cravings were not related to weight loss. Discussion: Cravings did not increase during either diet; all changes represented decreases. Compared with a primarily food-based diet (LCD), a more restrictive supplement-based diet (VLCD) resulted in significantly larger decreases in food cravings that occurred by the end of the 5th week of supplement use and did not rebound with resumption of solid food intake. The results of this study suggest that food cravings diminish with calorie restriction.

BACKGROUND: Night eating syndrome (NES) is characterized by a lack of appetite in the morning, consumption of 50% or more of daily food intake after 6:00 p.m., and difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. It has been associated with stress and with poor results at attempts to lose weight. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relaxation intervention (Abbreviated Progressive Muscle Relaxation Therapy, APRT) that has been shown to significantly reduce stress levels in normal, healthy adults would also benefit an NES sample. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 20 adults with NES were randomly assigned to either a relaxation training (APRT) or a Control (quietly sitting for the same amount of time) group, and all subjects attended two laboratory sessions 1 week apart. Pre-and postsession indices of stress, anxiety, relaxation, and salivary cortisol were obtained, as well as Day 1 and Day 8 indices of mood. Food diaries and hunger ratings were also obtained. RESULTS:The results indicated that 20 min of a muscle relaxation exercise significantly reduced stress, anxiety, and salivary cortisol immediately postsession. After practicing these exercises daily for a week, subjects exhibited lowered stress, anxiety, fatigue, anger, and depression on Day 8. APRT was also associated with significantly higher a.m. and lower p.m. ratings of hunger, and a trend of both more breakfast and less night-time eating. DISCUSSION: These data support the role of stress and anxiety in NES and suggest that practicing relaxation may be an important component of treatment for this condition.

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