Envelhecimento e força muscular - breve revisão

Abstract

Aging and muscle strength - a brief review Elderly population is growing both in absolute and in percentage of the total population. As the number of elderly people is increasing, recent research is focusing now on how to obtain a better quality of life at older ages. Coping with different daily activities is determined, to a large extent, by muscular strength (15, 52). The reduction in muscle strength is a major component of normal aging and is well documented (98). Besides referring the age-related muscular atrophy and weakness, several studies have been performed in order to evaluate the potential influence of physical activity on strength. A number of studies have investigated the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on the maintenance and/or improvement of the muscular strength in elderly people (for refs. see 5). However, these benefits associated with exercise are only of value if physical activity is based on certain rules and principles. Participation in non-systematic and no organized physical activity, especially on strength training, can be dangerous and deleterious for cardiovascular and skeletal muscle systems. In this way, the aim of this paper is to resume the current scientific knowledge concerning muscle aging, its influence on quality of life and the effectiveness of physical activity programs on strength of elderly people. Moreover, this review provides effective guidelines for designing strength fitness prescription programs for older adults.