Body composition in 85 year-old women: effects of increased physical activity

This study explores whether regular training alters body composition and resting metabolism in the very old. A total of 55 community-dwelling women, 85 years old, were enrolled in a training group (N = 22) and a control group (N = 33). Training was performed once a week for eight months, and consisted of various exercises with particular attention to movements important for everyday activities. Before, immediately after, and one year after cessation of training, body composition was evaluated both by an impedance measurement and a whole body scan by dual-photon X-ray absorptiometry. Resting metabolism, assessed as energy expenditure at rest, was measured with standardized protocols by analyzing oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Height declined in both groups throughout the study. Immediately after the training period, body weight showed a trend towards reduced levels in the training group, and an opposite trend in the control group. The control group showed an increased body mass index (p < 0.05) related to an increase in fat mass immediately after the training period; these parameters were unaltered in the training group. A reduction in fat free mass (p < 0.05) and bone mineral content (p < 0.05), and unaltered energy expenditure at rest were evident in both groups during the course of the study. These results suggest that regular training can counteract the age-related accumulation of fat in the very old. Physical reactivation, therefore, may possess an important potential for reducing morbidity in the very old by lowering fat mass, and thereby reducing the risk of acquiring several age-related diseases.