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Exercise ETC's
Review of Exercise Related Research
August 15, 2008
Compiled by Chris Marino, MS, CSCS
Director of Education, Exercise ETC
Strength
& Power Persist
After Detraining in Older Adults
Recent studies have linked the age-related decline in physical function to the decrease in muscle strength and power known to occur with age. Consequently, many fitness programs for older adults have begun to adopt resistance exercise protocols that emphasize these variables. Unfortunately, many independently living older adults migrate to more comfortable climates throughout the year and leave their conditioning programs behind. Until now it was unknown how exactly a period of inactivity would affect the benefits received from strength and power training.
A recent study showed that older adults retain functional improvements associated with both strength and power training after 24 weeks of de-conditioning.
Researchers had 38 older adults perform either a high-velocity power-building routine or a controlled speed strength-enhancing protocol. Following 24 weeks of training, the participants ceased all resistance training for 24 weeks. Researchers assessed muscle power, strength and endurance, velocity of movement, EMG, and function.
Both groups improved similarly across measures of function and physiology. Following detraining, strength and power were reduced by between 15.5 and 17.9% across groups. After 24 weeks of detraining, both groups experienced decreases in power and strength of approximately 15.5 to 17.9%. Most interesting, improvements in function experienced from the initial training persisted through the period of no training.
The most desirable outcome for older adults who begin an exercise program is improved function. From this study it appears as if even short-term strength and power training offers extended benefits for our nomadic older adult population.
Henwood,
T.R., and Taaffe, D.R. (2008) Detraining and retraining in older adults
following long-term muscle power or muscle strength specific training.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 63(7):751-8.
Running Decreases Disability and Prolongs Life in Old Age
Although regular exercise is known to improve health and reduce disability, running in particular is known to produce frequent and chronic injuries. Nearly 60% of runners have to stop training at some point each year because of injury. Consequently, it was thought that runners, especially those who began to run during the running craze in the 1980’s, would suffer more arthritis and may require joint replacement in greater numbers than their inactive or non-running exercise counterparts. Recent studies have indicated otherwise. Now there is more great news for runners…less disability and a longer life.
Researchers at Stanford University followed more than 500 runners for over 20 years starting in 1984. Participants completed annual questionnaires that enabled researchers to evaluate running and exercise frequency, BMI, and disability. More than half of the original runners and less than half of the controls completed the study, which ended in 2005. Date and cause of death were determined for those who did not live through 2005.
Baseline differences existed between runners and controls. For example, in 1984 the runners had a lower BMI, were more likely to be non-smokers and were younger than the control group. Runners ran approximately 4 hours weekly initially, but had reduced running to less than 3 hours by the end of the study. Disability scores were higher in the control group throughout and increased more significantly than in the running group. Moreover, the first inkling of disability in runners occurred 16 years later than in non-runners. After 19 years, less than half of the runners had died compared to controls, 15% and 34%, respectively.
The results indicate that older adults who run regularly can reduce disabilities, maintain a higher level of activity later in life, and reduce mortality.
Chakravarty, E.F., et al (2008) Reduced disability and mortality among aging runners. A 21-year longitudinal study. Archives of Internal Medicine. 168(15):1638-1646.
Cut Out Fructose and Lose Weight
Fructose consumption in the US has been on the rise since the early 1970's. Americans currently consume just less than 51 pounds of fructose per year on average, an increase of ~8 lbs. per year over the past 4 decades. Most fructose is consumed in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has since replaced sucrose as the primary sweetener in manufacturing. HFCS is 55% fructose and 45% glucose, which is similar to the breakdown of sugars in fruit.
Some argue that because the rise in fructose consumption parallels the increase in overweight and obesity, fructose is a major reason for the current obesity epidemic. Researchers at the University of Texas, Southwestern have recently discovered a link between fructose and body fat that might confirm that argument in part.
Six participants completed three protocols to evaluate the effects of fructose: a breakfast drink equal to 100% glucose; a beverage 50% glucose and 50% fructose; and one drink 25% glucose and 75% fructose. Each beverage contained exactly 85g of sugar. All participants ate a normal lunch approximately four hours following ingesting of the sugary beverage.
Glucose and insulin peaked higher in the 100% glucose beverage. However, sugar was converted to body fat at a greater rate in both fructose-containing beverages when compared to pure glucose. In fact, the rate was double, but not significantly different between the two fructose-containing beverages. Moreover, when a fructose-containing beverage was ingested before lunch more fat was stored from the lunch meal than when pure glucose was consumed. Following lunch, serum triglycerides were up to 29% greater and Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein up to 200% greater following the fructose-containing beverages.
Although this study might make you think twice about having that banana, remember that there are many potential factors that contribute to obesity. Excessive fructose consumption would have to co-exist with excessive calorie intake to increase the rate of weight gain.
Parks, E.J., et al (2008) Dietary Sugars Stimulate Fatty Acid Synthesis in Adults. Journal of Nutrition. 138:1039-1046
Clumsy
Kids Likely to be
Overweight Adults
Attempts to identify risk factors in children that increase the likelihood of disease and disability in adulthood may just be the key to improving morbidity and mortality. Recently, studies have linked poor cognitive function in children to an increased prevalence of type II diabetes in adulthood. New evidence suggests cognitive function and measures of coordination or clumsiness in children are predictive of obesity in adulthood.
In a study published in the British Journal of Medicine this month, British researchers reported that cognitive function, hand-eye coordination and clumsiness in youth might underlie the tendency toward obesity in adulthood. Data from 11K children participating in the National Child Development Study were analyzed. Teachers evaluated hand control and clumsiness in about 8K students at age 7. A doctor evaluated coordination and hand control via a variety of functional tests in 7K children at age 11.
The children who possessed the worst cognitive function and coordination were more likely to be obese as adults even though they were not overweight when assessed as children.
Previously, it was assumed that obese individuals lacked coordination and experience cognitive declines faster than non-obese peers because of inactivity. This study indicates otherwise and highlights the need to identify impairment and emphasize neuro-physiological development in our youth.
Osika, W., and Montgomery, SM. (2008) Physical control and coordination in childhood and adult obesity: longitudinal birth cohort study. British Medical Journal. 337:a699.
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