Sarcopenia and Decreased Muscle Strength in the Elderly Woman: Resistance Training as a Safe and Effective Intervention

ABSTRACT

A principle component of age-related weakness and frailty in women is sarcopenia. This decrease in skeletal muscle mass is a progressive syndrome that will affect the quality of life for elderly women by decreasing the ability to perform many activities of daily living. Strength training is known to be an effective means of increasing muscular strength and size in many populations, and can be utilized successfully to significantly improve muscle strength, muscle mass and functional mobility in elderly women up to the age of 96 years. Such exercise can minimize the syndrome of physical frailty due to decreased muscle mass and strength. Any rehabilitation or exercise program for the elderly woman would benefit from the inclusion of such a training regime.     

A comparison of three physical activity programs for health and fitness tested with older women: Benefits of aerobic activity,aqua fitness,and strength training

ABSTRACT

Inactivity has been associated with decreased quality of life of older people, and many physical activity programs are encouraged. However, the heterogeneity of the different exercise programs available is well recognized. The objective was to compare three physical activity programs (strength training, aqua fitness, and aerobic exercise) to discern the differences in the benefits achieved by each of them in older women over a period of 6 months. For that, a double-blind randomized trial sorted 347 women over 50 years old into three groups of exercise programs; they completed three sessions of evaluation that included the measurement of weight and body mass index and used the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) and SF-12 questionnaire. A t-test for related samples compared the evolution of each group, and ANOVA statistic was used to compare the effect of the different exercise programs. The results showed that women should consider performing aerobic activity up to age 60. After that age, aerobic activity or strength training can provide greater benefits.     

The Effect of a Multicomponent Dual-Modality Exercise Program Targeting Osteoporosis on Bone Health Status and Physical Function Capacity of Postmenopausal Women

Purpose: Exercise is important for the prevention of osteoporosis and the reduction of fracture risk because it improves muscle mass and strength, besides improving balance. We evaluated the effect of a specific exercise program on bone mass and quality and physical function capacity in postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density. Methods: Participants (N = 125) underwent a bone mass (Dual X-ray Absorptiometry), bone quality (osteosonography), and physical functional capacity assessment. Fifty-eight of them took part in an 11-month exercise program (E), that included a multicomponent (strength, aerobic capacity, balance, joint mobility) dual-modality (on ground and in the water; alternating group and home-based exercise periods) exercise regimen. The others represented a control group (C) that did not exercise. After the exercise program all participants were reevaluated. Results: After the training program: femoral neck T-score significantly improved in E; C significantly decreased all bone quality (osteosonography) parameters, whereas E showed no differences; E significantly improved all the physical function capacity parameters, while most of them decreased or did not change in C. Conclusions: A specific exercise program targeting osteoporosis improves physical function capacity, reduces physiological bone loss, and maintains bone quality in low bone mineral density postmenopausal women.     

Prevalence of frailty and associated factors in Korean older women: The KLoSA study

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of frailty in older women and its associated factors using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). The level of frailty was moderate/severe in 20.2% of the women. Age, socioeconomic status, and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with all levels of frailty. Sensory function and grip strength were associated with both mild and moderate/severe frailty. The only factors associated with moderate/severe frailty were marriage status and regular exercise. Understanding the risk factors of frailty may help health care providers to deliver tailored interventions to prevent this condition and its adverse outcomes.     

Elderly Women,Exercise and Healthy Aging

The persistent view of old age as a time for accepting an inevitable decline in health and vigour continues to shape the exercise patterns of elderly women, despite rapidly accumulating evidence that what has formerly been perceived as "normal aging" is, in part, the deficit of disuse and inactivity. While the risks associated with increased physical activity are not to be overlooked, more attention is being given to the overwhelming benefits of adequate exercise for the elderly, both in terms of short and long-term contributions to enhanced physical, social and emotional well-being. Conditioned to believe that being old and female is a sort of "double jeopardy" requiring restraint in physical activity, elderly women have been slow to respond to the new view of exercise as a crucial part of healthy aging. So long as elderly women do not readily perceive the advantages to be accrued from regular exercise patterns and do not believe they are capable of vigourous physical activity, government policies and plans to disseminate information about health and exercise are unlikely to generale large scale action toward health promotion.     

Body composition and physical self-concept in older women

We sought to determine the performance and anthropometric correlates of physical self-concept and self-esteem and to observe whether long-term resistance training would alter these variables in postmenopausal women. Forty-four nonsmoking, community-dwelling, Caucasian women aged 50-75 years participated in the study. Half of the subjects participated in a 9-month regimen of weight-bearing exercises performed 3 times per week which emphasized lower body muscle strength and power development. At baseline, total body fat was negatively associated with physical self-concept and perception of physical appearance but not with self-esteem. Perception of physical appearance improved in both exercisers and controls after the 9-month trial but was most noticeable in exercisers who had low self-esteem at baseline. The only predictor of improvement in perception of physical appearance was a decrease in lower body fat mass. Minimal or nonsignificant change in psychological measures associated with the training may be due to high initial values.     

Body Composition and Physical Self-Concept in Older Women

ABSTRACT

We sought to determine the performance and anthropometric correlates of physical self-concept and self-esteem and to observe whether long-term resistance training would alter these variables in postmenopausal women. Forty-four nonsmoking, community-dwelling, Caucasian women aged 50–75 years participated in the study. Half of the subjects participated in a 9-month regimen of weight-bearing exercises performed 3 times per week which emphasized lower body muscle strength and power development. At baseline, total body fat was negatively associated with physical self-concept and perception of physical appearance but not with self-esteem. Perception of physical appearance improved in both exercisers and controls after the 9-month trial but was most noticeable in exercisers who had low self-esteem at baseline. The only predictor of improvement in perception of physical appearance was a decrease in lower body fat mass. Minimal or nonsignificant change in psychological measures associated with the training may be due to high initial values.     

Effect of Soy Isolate Protein and Resistance Exercises on Muscle Performance and Bone Health of Osteopenic/Osteoporotic Post-Menopausal Women

There are contradictory reports regarding the effect of soy protein isolate on bone health in menopause. The main objective of this study was to assess the influence of soy isolate protein intake and resistance exercises on isokinetic muscle strength, endurance, power, and bone health parameters in osteopenic/osteoporotic postmenopausal women. Sixty osteoporotic sedentary women (mean age 54.55 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: soy isolate protein (Group A), soy?+?exercise group (Group B), and control group (Group C). Group B performed supervised progressive resistance exercises 4 times/week for 12 weeks. Muscle performance was measured by isokinetic dynamometry, and bone health was measured by ultrasound densitometry. Analysis of variance showed significant bone and muscle strength gains (p < .05) both in Group A and B, with the improvements more pronounced in Group B. Significant muscle performance changes, after intervention, were evident and bone strength increases may parallel changes in muscle strength.     

Osteoporosis and Older Women:

Osteoporosis, a metabolic bone disorder, affects four times as many women as men. Each year 1.3 million fractures, primarily of the vertebra, hip, and wrist can be attributed to osteoporosis. Risk factors for the development of this disease include age, sex, body build, family history, race, loss of estrogen, calcium deficiency, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and the excessive use of alcohol. Three common approaches used in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis are hormone replacement therapies, nutrition interventions. and exercise programs. These strategies are aimed at maintaining or stabilizing bone mass and preventing further loss. Living with osteoporosis presents older women with a variety of physical, psychological, and social challenges. To maintain a productive and healthy lifestyle, older women must recognize their physical limitations and make adjustments in their daily lives to cope successfully with these changes.     

中国老年人虚弱指数与死亡风险及队列差异

利用中国老年人健康长寿影响因素调查（ CLHLS ）2002－2011年跟踪调查数据,通过多种健康指标构建中国老年人虚弱指数,运用增长曲线模型和Cox等比例风险函数的研究方法,对中国老年人虚弱指数和死亡风险及其队列差异进行了深入分析。研究发现,女性虚弱指数比男性高,增长速度也比男性快,但是死亡风险比男性低;出生较晚的队列与出生早的队列相比,虚弱指数会更高,他们的增长程度更快;受教育程度高的老年人虚弱指数低,但是其增长速度却比受教育程度低的老年人要高。     

Improvements in Quality of Life in Women after Resistance Training Are Not Associated With Age

Twenty-three women completed a resistance training program three or four days per week. At baseline and after eight weeks they completed the Vitality Plus Scale measuring exercise-related changes in quality of life. Greater scores indicated better quality of life. Significant improvements in quality of life (p < .001), upper body strength (p < .001), and lower body strength (p < .001) were observed despite training frequency. Age was not associated with quality of life or strength either pre- or posttraining. Resistance exercise three days a week improved quality of life in women, and these improvements were not influenced by age.     

A selective review of prenatal exercise guidelines since the 1950s until present: Written for women,health care professionals,and female athletes

BackgroundTraditional society values have long-held the notion that the pregnant woman is construed as a risk to her growing fetus and is solely responsible for controlling this risk to ensure a healthy pregnancy. It is hard to ignore the participation of pregnant women in sport and exercise today, especially in high-level sports and popular fitness programs such as CrossFit™. This challenges both traditional and modern prenatal exercise guidelines from health care professionals and governing health agencies. The guidelines and perceived limitations of prenatal exercise have drastically evolved since the 1950s.AimThe goal of this paper is to bring awareness to the idea that much of the information regarding exercise safety during pregnancy is hypersensitive and dated, and the earlier guidelines had no scientific rigor. Research is needed on the upper limits of exercise intensity and exercise frequency, as well as their potential risks (if any) on the woman or fetus.DiscussionPregnant women are physically capable of much more than what was once thought. There is still disagreement about the types of exercise deemed appropriate, the stage at which exercise should begin and cease, the frequency of exercise sessions, as well as the optimal level of intensity during prenatal exercise.ConclusionResearch is needed to determine the upper limits of exercise frequency and intensity for pregnant women who are already trained. Healthy women and female athletes can usually maintain their regular training regime once they become pregnant.     

Older Women's Health and Its Impact on Wealth

As many elderly women tend to outlive their spouses, there is a growing population of unmarried elderly women. Unmarried women are worse off than married women both financially and physically. A question that has not been answered is whether and how the relationship between health and wealth differs across elderly women's marital status. Do the negative impacts of health problems cause more serious financial consequences for unmarried elderly women than married women? Using the five waves of data from the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) from 1993 to 2002, this question is empirically investigated. Results indicate that severe chronic conditions result in 4 to 10% greater wealth depletion for unmarried women than married women. This finding calls for heightened awareness of the negative financial consequences of health problems and also calls for increased lifetime earning potential, reconsideration of women's retirement benefits, and greater attention to preventive care.     

A pilot study of the application of the transtheoretical model during strength training in older women

A Transtheoretical Model (TTM) goal-setting tool was used during strength training in women. Volunteers (mean age = 69, N = 27) were assigned to a strength training only or strength training/behavior change 12-week intervention. A pre/posttest, quasiexperimental design assessed TTM constructs, Health-Related Quality of Life, and functional fitness measurements. Multiple ANCOVAs revealed significant differences between groups on lower body strength (p = .001), upper body flexibility (p = .002), Decisional Balance (p = .024,) and Stage of Change for Exercise (p = .010). Stage of change progression may be enhanced using a goal-setting tool during strength training in older women.     

The Biodemography of Variation in Human Frailty

A population is composed of individuals who are heterogeneous in their susceptibility to death and disease. This heterogeneity is reflected in the age-specific incidence or mortality (hazard) function. This variation has typically been hidden--that is, not measured directly--and has generally been modeled in a purely empirical statistical way, because there is no theory in demography for the distribution of frailty. A substantial fraction of variation in frailty, however, has an underlying genetic basis, for which there is a formal theory. This theory, based on evolutionary biology and on the nature of mendelian transmission, provides prior constraints on the distribution of variation in the population as well as providing methods for identifying genes involved in many important diseases. The accumulating effects of environmental exposures with age are another major component of variation in frailty. In some important instances, this variation and its effect on the age-specific hazard function can also be understood in terms of cause-specific biological processes. These biological considerations may enable demographers to model frailty, and thus mortality, in a better way.     

A Pilot Study of the Application of the Transtheoretical Model During Strength Training in Older Women

A Transtheoretical Model (TTM) goal-setting tool was used during strength training in women. Volunteers (mean age = 69, N = 27) were assigned to a strength training only or strength training/behavior change 12-week intervention. A pre/posttest, quasiexperimental design assessed TTM constructs, Health-Related Quality of Life, and functional fitness measurements. Multiple ANCOVAs revealed significant differences between groups on lower body strength (p = .001), upper body flexibility (p = .002), Decisional Balance (p = .024,) and Stage of Change for Exercise (p = .010). Stage of change progression may be enhanced using a goal-setting tool during strength training in older women.     

Oxidative stress levels are reduced in postmenopausal women with exercise training regardless of hormone replacement therapy status

This study investigated whether postmenopausal women on HRT would experience a greater reduction in oxidative stress after 24 weeks of aerobic exercise training compared to postmenopausal women not on HRT. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), an indicator of oxidative stress, was measured in 48 previously sedentary postmenopausal women on HRT (n = 21) and not on HRT (n = 27) before and after 24 weeks of aerobic exercise training. Baseline levels of TBARS differed significantly between groups after controlling for age, BMI, and fasting blood glucose (P = 0.03). There was a significant reduction in TBARS after 24 weeks of training in the overall group. When analyzed separately, both postmenopausal women on HRT and those not on HRT had a significant reduction in TBARS; however, there was no significant difference between groups (-0.71 +/- 0.14 nmol/ml in non-HRT users vs. -0.50 +/- 0.16 nmol/ml in HRT users; P = 0.33) even after controlling for age, BMI, and baseline levels of TBARS. Our results showed that aerobic exercise training significantly decreased oxidative stress in postmenopausal women; however, both HRT users and non-HRT users benefited equally.     

旅游和健身锻炼与健康长寿关系的定量研究

基于中国老年人口健康纵向调查2002年和2005年数据,运用实证方法对影响我国65岁及以上老年人旅游和健身锻炼的相关因素以及旅游和健身锻炼对健康长寿的影响进行定量分析。研究显示在控制诸多干扰因素下,城镇老人、汉族老人、那些具有较高社会经济地位和较多医疗资源以及经常参与闲暇活动老人的外出旅游和参与健身锻炼的比例较高;宗教活动增加出游比例;出游比例具有随龄下降趋势。研究还发现出游和参与健身锻炼有利于健康长寿。     

Serious psychological distress,sex, and falls among the elderly

Serious psychological distress and falls are two major public health problems among the elderly. This study aims to test the hypothesis that although serious psychological distress can increase the risks of falls among the elderly, it tends to affect elderly women more than elderly men. Data of this study are from the 2011 California Health Survey Interviews (CHIS). We extracted a sample of 13,153 respondents aged 65 and older for this study, including 8,087 females and 5,066 males. We tested both unadjusted and adjusted interaction effects using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Elderly women with serious psychological distress had the greatest likelihood of falls as compared to men with serious psychological distress and men and women without serious psychological distress. With respect to the covariates, limitations of physical activity and poor self-rated health status, Asian race, and older age were more likely to be associated with falls. This study provides further information on sex disparities of falls among the elderly such that serious psychological distress has a greater impact on falls for elderly women than elderly men. Thus, the findings of our studies suggest that mental health services and intervention can be useful to prevent falls for elderly women.