Samuel da Silva Aguiar

Sarcopenia Is Associated with High Pulse Pressure in Older Women

Introduction. Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome associated with impairment of muscle function, metabolism, and cognition in older women. Recent studies have shown a relationship between changes in muscle mass and the cardiovascular system. However, this relationship has not been fully elucidated. Methods. One hundred and thirty community-dwelling Brazilian older women (65.4 ± 6.3 years) were recruited to participate in this study. Data on body composition (via bioelectrical impedance measurements), cardiovascular parameters (using an automatic and noninvasive monitor), and muscle function (using a 3-meter gait speed test) were measured. Results. Sarcopenic older women (n = 43) presented higher levels of pulse pressure (PP) (60.3 ± 2.6 mmHg) and lower muscle function (0.5 ± 0.0 m/s) compared with nonsarcopenic subjects (n = 87) (53.7 ± 1.5 mmHg; 0.9 ± 0.0 m/s) (P < 0.05). Linear regression analysis demonstrated a significantly negative association between skeletal muscle index (SMI) and PP levels (β = −226, P < 0.05). Furthermore, sarcopenic older women showed a 3.1-fold increased risk of having higher PP levels compared with nonsarcopenic women (IC = 1.323–7.506) (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Sarcopenic older women showed lower muscle function and higher cardiovascular risk due to increased PP levels compared with nonsarcopenic subjects.

Cutoffs and cardiovascular risk factors associated with neck circumference among community-dwelling elderly adults: a cross-sectional study

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: In elderly people, measurement of several anthropometric parameters may present complications. Although neck circumference measurements seem to avoid these issues, the cutoffs and cardiovascular risk factors associated with this parameter among elderly people remain unknown. This study was developed to identify the cutoff values and cardiovascular risk factors associated with neck circumference measurements among elderly people. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study conducted in two community centers for elderly people. METHODS: 435 elderly adults (371 women and 64 men) were recruited. These volunteers underwent morphological evaluations (body mass index and waist, hip, and neck circumferences) and hemodynamic evaluations (blood pressure values and heart rate). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to determine the predictive validity of cutoff values for neck circumference, for identifying overweight/obesity. Multivariate analysis was used to identify cardiovascular risk factors associated with large neck circumference. RESULTS: Cutoff values for neck circumference (men = 40.5 cm and women = 35.7 cm), for detection of obese older adults according to body mass index, were identified. After a second analysis, large neck circumference was shown to be associated with elevated body mass index in men; and elevated body mass index, blood pressure values, prevalence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in women. CONCLUSION: The data indicate that neck circumference can be used as a screening tool to identify overweight/obesity in older people. Moreover, large neck circumference values may be associated with cardiovascular risk factors.

Hypertension and functional capacities in community-dwelling older women: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the association between hypertension and physical/functional capacities in community-dwelling older females. Materials and methods: Older female volunteers were dichotomized in two groups: hypertensive (n = 134) and normotensive (n = 244). Volunteers had their medical records reviewed and underwent evaluations of anthropometric data (weight, height and body mass index) and of physical and functional capacities. Results: The results showed that hypertensive older females presented higher values for age, weight, body mass index, and resting diastolic blood pressure than normotensive older females. Normotensive older females showed a higher performance in the one-leg stand test and six-minute walk test compared with hypertensive older females. Age, body mass index, maximal walking speed, performance in the Time Up and Go and six-minute walk test, and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type II were factors associated with hypertension using the chi-square test. However, the multivariate regression analysis indicated that performance in the six-minute walk test was the only factor associated with hypertension. Conclusions: The patients with higher scores in the six-minute walk test, which is associated with aerobic capacity, show less odds to have clinical diagnosis of hypertension. However, hypertension was not associated with poor physical and functional capacity.

Effects of Multicomponent Exercise on Functional and Cognitive Parameters of Hypertensive Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Purpose. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of a 6-month multicomponent exercise program (MCEP) on physical function and cognitive parameters of normotensive (NTS) and hypertensive (HTS) older patients and verify if age can influence the adaptations in response to the exercise. Methods. A total of 218 subjects, 101 NTS and 117 HTS, were recruited and underwent functional and cognitive evaluations before and after six months of a MCEP. The program of exercise was performed twice a week, for 26 weeks. The physical exercises were thought to mimic the activities of daily living and, therefore, aggregated functional and walking exercises. Exercise sessions were performed at moderate intensity. Results. Data indicated that HTS and NST patients showed a similar increase in the performance of walking speed test and one-leg stand test after the MCEP. Regarding age, results did not show differences in the magnitude of adaptations between old and young HTS and NTS patients. Conclusions. Data of the present study indicated that a 6-month MCEP was able to increase equally balance and mobility in NTS and HTS patients. Moreover, data demonstrated that aging did not seem to impair the capacity to adapt in response to exercise in both groups.

Acute effects of power and resistance exercises on hemodynamic measurements of older women

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects of resistance training (RT) and power training (PT) on the hemodynamic parameters and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability of older women. Materials and methods A randomized experimental design was used in this study. Twenty-one older women (age: 67.1±4.6 years; body mass index: 28.03±4.9 kg/m2; systolic blood pressure: 135.1±21.1 mmHg) were recruited to participate in this study. Volunteers were randomly allocated into PT, RT, and control session (CS) groups. The PT and RT groups underwent a single session of physical exercise equalized by training volume, characterized by 3 sets of 8–10 repetitions in 8 different exercises. However, RT group performed exercise at a higher intensity (difficult) than PT (moderate) group. On the other hand, concentric contractions were faster in PT group than in RT group. Hemodynamic parameters and saliva samples (for NO quantification) were collected before and during an hour after exercise completion. Results Results demonstrated post-exercise hypotension during 35 minutes in the PT when compared to rest period (P=0.001). In turn, RT showed decreased heart rate and double product (P<0.001) during the whole evaluation period after exercise completion compared with the rest period. NO levels increased in the PT and RT during the whole evaluation period in relation to rest period. However, there were no differences between PT, RT, and CS regarding hemodynamic and NO evaluations. Conclusion Data indicate that an acute session of power and resistance exercise can be effective to cause beneficial changes on hemodynamic parameters and NO levels in older women.

Longer Telomere Length in Elite Master Sprinters: Relationship to Performance and Body Composition

Emergent evidence suggests that the long-term healthy lifestyle of master athletes may attenuate aging. We compared telomere length (TL) of high-level master sprinters and non-athlete age-matched controls, and analyzed the relationships of TL with performance and body fat. Elite master sprinters (n=11; aged 50.1±9.2yrs) and healthy untrained controls (n=10; aged 45.4±10.9yrs) had blood samples collected for biochemical and biomolecular analyses. Master sprinters had longer TL, lower body fat and BMI, and a better lipid profile than age-matched controls (p<0.05). A large effect size was verified comparing TL between athletes vs. controls (Cohens d=1.039), with a significant negative correlation between TL and performance decline per decade (r=-0.624, p<0.01) and a positive correlation of TL and actual performance level (r=0.641, p<0.01). In conclusion, TL of elite master sprinters was longer than their untrained peers, and seems to be not only a marker of health status, but also an indicator of sports longevity since both actual performance level and its decrease over years were related to TL. Further research might assess the TL of elite master endurance athletes for comparison with sprinters, and also investigate the underlying mechanisms by which the attenuation of telomere shortening occurs in master athletes.

Double product break point estimates ventilatory threshold in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

[Purpose] To verify the identification of the anaerobic threshold through the double product breakpoint (DPBP) method for individuals with type 2 diabetes. [Subjects and Methods] Nine individuals with T2D (7 females; age=63.2 ± 8.9 y) and 10 non-diabetic (ND) (7 females; age=58.3 ± 7.8 y) performed an incremental exercise test on a cycle ergometer. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and expired gas were measured at the end of each stage. The ventilatory threshold (VT) and DPBP were considered as the exercise intensities above which an over proportional increases in VE and DP were observed in relation to increasing workload. [Results] No differences were observed between the workloads, HR and VO2 corresponding to the AT identified respectively by VT and DPBP. For the T2D, strong correlations between VT and DBPB workloads (r=0.853), HR (r=0.714), and VO2 (r=0.863) were found. These relationships were similar to those found for the control group (r=0.923; r=0.881; and r=0.863, respectively). [Conclusion] These results demonstrate that the DPBP enables for the prediction of AT and correlated well the VT in both the T2D and ND participants.

Vertical Jump Is Strongly Associated to Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test in Teenage Futsal Male Athletes

As one of the most popular sport modalities in Brazil, and with an exponential growth in Europe, futsal is characterized by intermittent stimulus of anaerobic high intensity sprints. The running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) is one of the most common tests to assess anaerobic power in futsal athletes, however, it presents both time and physical challenges. Therefore, we aimed to correlate RAST with a simpler test, the vertical jump (VJ), in teenage male futsal athletes; Methods: Thirteen volunteers were enrolled and underwent two visits to the laboratory, one for the VJ and the other for the RAST in a randomized order; Results: The association test indicates a strong and significant correlation between VJ and RAST. We conclude that VJ can be used as an alternative to RAST in teenage male futsal athletes.

Training Performed Above Lactate Threshold Decreases p53 and Shelterin Expression in Mice

Telomere shortening is associated to sarcopenia leading to functional impairment during aging. There are mechanisms associated with telomere attrition, as well to its protection and repair. Physical training is a factor that attenuates telomere shortening, but little is known about the effects of different exercise intensities on telomere biology. Thus, we evaluated the effects of exercise intensity (moderate vs. high-intensity domain) on gene expression of senescence markers Checkpoint kinase 2 and tumor suppressor (Chk2 and p53, respectively), shelterin telomere repeat binding 1 and 2 (Trf1/Trf2), DNA repair (Xrcc5), telomerase reverse transcriptase (mTERT) and telomere length in middle aged mice. Three groups were studied: a control group (CTL) and two groups submitted to swimming at intensities below the lactate threshold (LI group) and above the lactate threshold (HI group) for 40 and 20 min respectively, for 12 weeks. After training, the HI group showed reduction in p53 expression in the muscle, and decreased shelterin complex expression when compared to LI group. No differences were observed between groups for mTERT expression and telomere length. Thus, exercise training in high-intensity domain was more effective on reducing markers of senescence and apoptosis. The higher intensity exercise training also diminished shelterin expression, with no differences in telomere length and mTERT expression. Such results possibly indicate a more effective DNA protection for the higher-intensity exercise training.

Acute metabolic responses following different resistance exercise protocols

Resistance exercise (RE) can be an excellent modality for glycemic control. Studies have demonstrated that a single RE session can reduce glycemia in subjects with or without diabetes. Little is known about the dose-response effect of RE on glycemic control. This study aimed to investigate the acute metabolic responses after different RE protocols. Eighty-nine males were separated into six groups that completed RE protocols: 2 sets of 18 repetitions (2 × 18 at 50% of 1-repetition maximum (1RM); n = 19); 3 sets of 12 repetitions (3 × 12 at 70% of 1RM; n = 14); 4 sets of 9 repetitions (4 × 9 at 80% of 1RM; n = 13); 6 sets of 6 repetitions (6 × 6 at 90% of 1RM; n = 19); circuit (2 × 18 at 50% of 1RM; n = 12); and a control session (n = 12). The exercise sequence consisted of 8 exercises. An oral glucose tolerance test was conducted with metabolic measurements immediately after each RE protocol and every 15 min until 120 min of recovery. All groups exhibited significantly lower values (p < 0.05) in the glucose area under the curve (AUC) when compared with control over a 120 min monitoring period. The 6 × 6 group showed a significantly lower glucose AUC versus the 3 × 12 and 4 × 9 groups (p = 0.004; p = 0.001, respectively). As for blood lactate, the control and 6 × 6 groups exhibited lower AUC values versus all other groups (p < 0.05), and AUC for glucose and lactate concentration showed a negative and significant correlation (r = -0.46; p < 0.0001). It appears that a combination of 9-12 repetitions per set and 3-4 sets per muscle group might be optimal for acute postprandial glucose control.