Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
Exercise and risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome in older adults
Kerry J Stewart1, Anita C Bacher, Katherine Turner
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. kstewart@jhmi.edu
Background:
Older people with elevated blood pressure (BP) often have metabolic syndrome, a clustering of central obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Exercise reduces many of these risk factors. This study examined whether the benefits of exercise on cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk factors are mediated by exercise-induced changes in fitness or body composition.
Methods:
Randomized controlled trial, comprising 6 months of exercise training, conducted between July 1999 and November 2003. Participants included men and women (n =115) aged 55 to 75 years with untreated systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 130 to 159 or diastolic blood pressure of (DPB) 85 to 99 mm Hg. Fitness measures included BP, lipids, lipoproteins, insulin, and glucose; peak oxygen uptake and muscle strength; and body composition measured by anthropometry, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and magnetic resonance imaging.
Results:
A total of 51 men and 53 women completed the trial. Exercise significantly increased aerobic and muscle fitness, lean mass, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and reduced total and abdominal fat. DBP was reduced more among exercisers. There were no associations among changes in fitness with risk factors. Reductions in total body and abdominal fat and increases in leanness, largely independent of weight loss, were associated with improved SBP, DBP, total cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, lipoprotein(a), and insulin sensitivity. At baseline, 42.3% of participants had metabolic syndrome. At 6 months, nine exercisers (17.7%) and eight controls (15.1%) no longer had metabolic syndrome, whereas four controls (7.6%) and no exercisers developed it (p =0.06).
Conclusions:
Although exercise improved fitness, the reductions in total and abdominal fatness and increase in leanness were more strongly associated with favorable changes in risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, including those that constitute metabolic syndrome.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Type II Diabetes I: Introduction
01:30Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:26Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
01:24Overview of Lipid Metabolism
Lipolysis: The Breakdown of Lipids:
Lipolysis is the process of breaking down lipids, particularly triglycerides, into glycerol and fatty acids. This process typically occurs in the adipose tissue and is triggered by various hormones, including glucagon and...
01:19The Effect of Aging on Tissues