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Resistance training improves cardiac function in older women: a randomized controlled trial
Ricardo J Rodrigues1,2, Paolo M Cunha3,4, João P Nunes1,5
1Nutrition, and Exercise Laboratory, Londrina State University, Londrina, Brazil.
Geroscience
|August 31, 2024
Summary
Resistance training (RT) significantly improved cardiac function in older women over 24 weeks. This exercise intervention enhanced heart structure and pumping efficiency, suggesting RT is beneficial for cardiovascular health in this demographic.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Aging is associated with cardiovascular changes that can impact cardiac function.
- Resistance training (RT) is a form of exercise that can influence cardiovascular health.
- The specific effects of RT on cardiac function in older women require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of a 24-week resistance training program on cardiac function in physically independent older women.
- To compare changes in cardiac morphological and functional parameters between a resistance training group and a control group.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-three older women were randomized into a resistance training (TG, n=38) or control group (CG, n=35).
- The RT program involved 3 weekly sessions of whole-body exercises for 24 weeks.
- Tissue Doppler echocardiography and one-repetition maximum (1-RM) tests were performed pre- and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for left ventricular end-diastolic volume, left ventricular end-systolic volume, and left atrial volume index, favoring the TG.
- The RT group showed improvements in left ventricular mass index, septal thickness, left ventricular ejection fraction, E'/E septal, deceleration time, E septal, and E lateral compared to the CG.
- Muscular strength, assessed by 1-RM, increased in the TG (data not shown).
Conclusions:
- Twenty-four weeks of resistance training positively impacts cardiac morphological and functional variables in older women.
- RT may be an effective intervention to improve cardiovascular health and function in aging populations.
- Further research should explore the long-term effects and mechanisms underlying these adaptations.
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