Concurrent Exercise Improves Blood Pressure, Body Composition, Lipids And Fitness Components In Elderly Women

Abstract

Aging is associated with progressive decline of cardiovascular and muscular health, which affects overall fitness and body composition. It is crucial to prevent or attenuate the negative effects of aging on cardiovascular and muscular health by implementing effective lifestyle interventions, such as exercise training. Several longitudinal studies lasting <16 weeks have shown that aerobic, resistance, and concurrent training (CT), improve blood pressure (BP), muscle strength and body fat percentage (BF%) in elderly cohorts. However, studies evaluating these adaptations following extensive training periods (≥1 year) are currently lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate BP, BF%, blood lipids, walking capacity and muscular strength values in elderly women following 1 year of habitual CT. METHODS: 101 elderly women [age (77 ± 6 years) and body mass index (24.1 ± 3.8 kg/m2)] were randomized to either CT (n=57) or non-exercising control group (n=44) for 1 year. Participants in the CT group trained 3/week. CT consisted of moderate aerobic exercise that progressed in duration from 25 to 45 min as well as resistance exercise, which entailed 9 exercises for the major muscle groups using 8-12 repetitions. Brachial BP, BF%, blood lipids, 2-minute walking distance (2MWD) and quadriceps strength were evaluated following 1 year of their assigned intervention. RESULTS: Systolic BP (~10 mmHg), BF% (~6%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (~15) were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased, while 2MWD (~19 meters) and quadriceps strength (~4 Kg) were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the CT group when compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly women in CT group had improved BP, BF%, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, muscle strength and walking capacity when compared to control counterparts. Habitual CT may protect against the development of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity and muscle weakness in elderly women.