Journal
TRANSLATIONAL SPORTS MEDICINE
Volume 2, Issue 3, Pages 109-119Publisher
WILEY-HINDAWI
DOI: 10.1002/tsm2.70
Keywords
capillarization; protein turnover; sarcopenia; strength; walking exercise
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging [R01AG030070, R01AG030070S1, R56AG051267, P30AG024832, UL1TR001439, T32AG000270]
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Sarcopenia, age-associated involuntary loss of muscle and strength, can progress to clinically relevant functional decline. Resistance exercise attenuates muscle and strength loss but may not be feasible for some older adults. Aerobic exercise training (AET) improves cardiopulmonary health; however, effects on protein turnover, muscle mass, and strength are less clear. We aimed to determine whether AET improves basal myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) and capillarization, promoting hypertrophy and strength. We hypothesized that AET improves strength with increased MPS and capillarization. Older adults were randomized to non-exercise (NON; n = 11, 71.4 +/- 4.18 years) or exercise (EX; n = 12, 73.7 +/- 4.05 years). EX completed 24 weeks of AET (walking 3x/week, 45 minutes, 70% heart rate reserve); NON remained sedentary. A stable isotope tracer was infused. MPS and capillarization were analyzed from vastus lateralis muscle biopsies. Strength was measured via isokinetic dynamometry. Lean mass was determined with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Basal MPS increased in EX (+50.7%, P = 0.01) along with capillary density (+66.4%, P = 0.03), peak oxygen consumption (+15.8%, P = 0.01), quadriceps strength (+15.1%, P = 0.01), and muscle quality (peak torque divided by leg lean mass, +15.5%, P = 0.01). Lean mass did not change (P > 0.05). AET increases muscle protein turnover and capillarization in older adults, improving muscle quality.
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