Walking net O₂ rises with advancing age in older women: where to go from here?

Walking net $$ O₂ tends to increase with advancing age; however, factors contributing to this relationship have not been widely described. The implications of such findings could inform targeted strategies to promote independent mobility in older adults. Herein, we evaluated the relationship between net $$ O₂ and age at two submaximal workloads while exploring potential moderators of this relationship.

Secondary analyses were performed on 35 older (65 ± 3 years) women who completed a battery of physical assessments including fixed-speed, non-graded and graded (+ 2.5%) treadmill walking with indirect calorimetry to determine net $$ O₂. Maximal oxygen uptake ( $$ O_2max), knee extensor maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MVC), peak rate of torque development (RTD), and plantar flexor range-of-motion (PF_ROM) were also measured.

Bivariate correlations showed non-graded (r = 0.403, p = 0.017) and graded (r = 0.413, p = 0.014) net $$ O₂ were positively related to age. Notably, these relationships strengthened after adjusting for $$ O_2max. Regression modeling showed age, RTD:MVC ratio (composite of muscle performance), and PF_ROM together explained 49% and 34% of the variance in non-graded and graded net $$ O₂, respectively. Further analyses suggested knee extensor MVC moderates the relationship between non-graded net $$ O₂ and age, accounting for 9% of the variance [ΔR² = 0.090, F (1,31) = 4.13, p = 0.05].

These data support the premise that, in older women, walking net $$ O₂ rises with advancing age, and additionally, the RTD:MVC ratio and PF_ROM are independent correlates of non-graded net $$ O₂. Exercise interventions with a high degree of training specificity including explosive, velocity-based elements may promote independent mobility in older women.