Exercise And Detraining Change Lipid Profile In Older Women?

Abstract

Exercise in older adults results in very important benefits to health and quality of life. Low cardiorespiratory capacity, high cholesterol (HCHOL) and high triglycerides (HTRIG) are three of the mayor risk factors for cardiovascular diseases that can be improved with regular exercise. PURPOSE: Would regular exercise (RE) and detraining (DT) promote different effects in total cholesterol, triglycerides and cardiorespiratory capacity of older women with or without lipid disorders (HCHOL and HTRIG)? METHODS: Seventeen older women with HCHOL and HTRIG were recruited for the lipid disorder group (LDG) and twenty-three older women without HCHOL and HTRIG were recruited for the no lipid disorder group (CG) (LDG: n = 17, 68.7 ± 2.1 years; CG: n = 23, 69.4 ± 3.7 years). Booth groups followed a nine-month multicomponent exercise program before a three-month detraining period. Cardiorespiratory capacity was assessed through 6-min walk test(6MWT), and total cholesterol (TCHOL) and triglycerides (TG) blood sample were assessed in accordance with the procedures of Diabetes Atlas Committee. All assessments were conducted before and after the exercise program and after three months of detraining. Mixed-model ANOVA was used to examine differences within and between groups. RESULTS: In booth groups RE promoted declines in TCHOL (LDG: -7.93%, p < 0.01; CG: -9.12%, p < 0.01), TG (LDG: -10.89%, p < 0.01; CG: -11.14%, p < 0.01) and 6MWT (LDG: 10.87%, p < 0.01; CG: 12.39%, p < 0.01), and DT led to negative effects on TCHOL (LDG: 5.81%, p < 0.01; CG: 7.8%, p < 0.01) and TG (LDG: 9.41%, p < 0.01; CG: 9.07%, p < 0.01), and 6MWT (LDG: -4.78%, p < 0.01; CG: -6.20%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Three months of DT are enough to reverse the benefits of exercise in TCHOL of non-lipid disorder older women, and regular exercise in older women with lipid disorders promotes benefits in cardiorespiratory capacity, TG and TCHOL with lower impact compared to older women without this disorders but are strong enough to be retained after three months of DT.