Low Estradiol Levels and Cognitive Function

Researchers writing in the medical journal Neurobiology of Aging, say that “Older women with low estradiol levels were more likely to experience decline in global cognitive function and verbal memory, and a similar trend was observed for verbal memory in men.”

Yaffe K, Barnes D, Lindquist K, Cauley J, Simonsick EM, Penninx B, Satterfield S, Harris T, Cummings SR. Endogenous sex hormone levels and risk of cognitive decline in an older biracial cohort. Neurobiol Aging. 2007 Feb;28(2):171-8.
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Muscle Mass and Strength Research

Risk factors for loss of muscle strength in aging men
The researchers concluded that the following were risk factors:
“Multivariate analyses revealed that besides older age, other risk factors also contributed to the loss of muscle strength in older men, including back pain, use of calcium channel blockers, caffeine intake, and height and weight loss.”

Resistance Training Important for Aging Muscles and Tendons
Researchers writing the medical journal Experimental Physiology say that resistance training is not only good for preventing age-related loss of muscle but for tendons as well.

Strength Training and Nutritional Counseling Benefits In Women
Writing in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers noted that long-term strength training and nutritional counseling had positive effects of metabolic health indicators.

Walking off Postmenopausal Decreases in bone mineral density, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and balance.
Researchers writing in the medical journal Physical Therapy say that “Menopause may induce a phase of rapid decreases in bone mineral density, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and balance, especially in sedentary women. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects and feasibility of an exercise program of 1 or 2 bouts of walking and resistance training on lower-extremity muscle strength (the force-generating capacity of muscle), balance, and walking performance in women who recently went through menopause.”

What is the Effect of Insulin Resistance and Loss of Lean Muscle (Sarcopenia) As We Age?
Researchers writing in the Journal of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology say: “A reduced response of older skeletal muscle to anabolic stimuli (exercise & diet) may contribute to the development of sarcopenia.

Power Training and Balance in Older Adults
Researchers in Australia and Massachusetts say that low load, high velocity power training can improve balance and reduce fall risks in aging subjects. The researchers concluded: “Power training significantly improved balance performance in participants who underwent power training compared to controls. Low intensity power training produced the greatest improvement in balance performance.

Exercise Frequency in Older Women

Researchers writing in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics say “older women who participate in an exercise program three times a week gain greater functional fitness benefits than those who exercise less frequently.”

Nakamura Y, Tanaka K, Yabushita N, Sakai T, Shigematsu R. Effects of exercise frequency on functional fitness in older adult women. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2007 Mar-Apr;44(2):163-73.

From the study abstract: This study evaluated the effects of exercise frequency on functional fitness in older women participating in a 12-week exercise program.

Participants (67.8+/-4.6 years) were divided into three different exercise groups (I, II, and III; n=34) and a control group (Group C; n=11). Group I participated in a 90-min exercise program once a week, for 12 weeks, while Group II attended it twice a week, and Group III attended three times a week.

The exercise program consisted of a 10-min warm-up, 20min of walking, 30min of recreational activities, 20min of resistance training, and a 10-min cool-down.

The following items were measured before and after the program: muscular strength, muscular endurance, dynamic balance, coordination, and cardiorespiratory fitness (6-min walking distance).

Comparisons of baseline and post-intervention measures showed significantly greater improvements in body weight, coordination, and cardiorespiratory fitness for Group III compared to the other groups (p<0.05).

In addition, the greatest improvements in body fat, muscular endurance, and dynamic balance were also observed in Group III (p<0.05). However, no significant differences were found in muscular strength.

Older women who participate in an exercise program three times a week gain greater functional fitness benefits than those who exercise less frequently. In order to improve functional fitness in older women, an exercise frequency of at least three times each week should be recommended.

You May Need To Exercise More To Avoid Fat Accumulation Associated With Aging

Researchers publishing in the journal Clinical Nutrition say: “Cross-sectional data have shown that sarcopenia (age associated muscle loss) and fat accumulation are associated with aging and can be limited by structured physical training. However, it is often difficult to maintain a long-term compliance to training programs. It is not clear whether leisure-time physical activity is effective in preventing sarcopenia and fat accumulation.

CONCLUSIONS: Mild but significant decline in muscle mass and its TBK (Total Body Potassium) content, and body fat accumulation were observed over a 3-year period in healthy elderly subject: leisure-time physical activity does not seem to prevent them. However, a higher level of physical activity is associated with higher muscle mass and TBK content, and less total and truncal fat.” Read the abstract

Raguso CA, Kyle U, Kossovsky MP, Roynette C, Paoloni-Giacobino A, Hans D, Genton L, Pichard C. A 3-year longitudinal study on body composition changes in the elderly: Role of physical exercise. Clin Nutr. 2005 Dec 2

Performance-Based Physical Function and Future Dementia in Older People

Wang L, Larson EB, MD, Bowen JD, van Belle G Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1115-1120

From the abstract:
Background: The association of physical function with progression to dementia has not been well investigated. We aimed to determine whether physical function is associated with incident dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD).

Methods We performed a prospective cohort study of 2288 persons 65 years and older without dementia. Patients were enrolled from 1994 to 1996 and followed up through October 2003. Main outcome measures included incident dementia and AD.

Conclusions: Lower levels of physical performance were associated with an increased risk of dementia and AD. The study suggests that poor physical function may precede the onset of dementia and AD and higher levels of physical function may be associated with a delayed onset.

Nutrition in Brain Development and Aging: Role of Essential Fatty Acids

Researchers writing in the the medical journal Nutrition Reviews say that essential fatty acids (EFAs) are increasingly seen to be of value in limiting the cognitive decline during aging.

Uauy R, Dangour AD. Nutrition in brain development and aging: role of essential fatty acids. Nutr Rev. 2006 May;64(5 Pt 2):S24-33; discussion S72-91.

From the abstract: The essential fatty acids (EFAs), particularly the n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs), are important for brain development during both the fetal and postnatal period.

They are also increasingly seen to be of value in limiting the cognitive decline during aging.

EFA deficiency was first shown over 75 years ago, but the more subtle effects of the n-3 fatty acids in terms of skin changes, a poor response to linoleic acid supplementation, abnormal visual function, and peripheral neuropathy were only discovered later. Both n-3 and n-6 LCPs play important roles in neuronal growth, development of synaptic processing of neural cell interaction, and expression of genes regulating cell differentiation and growth.

Aging is also associated with decreased brain levels of DHA: fish consumption is associated with decreased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and the reported daily use of fish-oil supplements has been linked to improved cognitive function scores, but confirmation of these effects is needed.

MORE ON THIS SUBJECT
Eating Fish Slows Aging of the Brain
Study Published in the October 10, 2005 issue of the Archives of Neurology.

In brief, researchers looked at people 65 years of age and over to see if intakes of fish and omega-3 fatty acids protected against “age-related cognitive decline.”

What did they find? Quoted from the article in the Archives of Neurology:
“Dietary intake of fish was inversely associated with cognitive decline over 6 years in this older, biracial community study.

The rate of decline was reduced by 10% to 13% per year among persons who consumed 1 or more fish meals per week compared with those with less than weekly consumption.

The rate reduction is the equivalent of being 3 to 4 years younger in age.

There were no consistent associations with the omega-3 fatty acids, although the effect estimates were in the direction of slower decline.”

Eating Fish Slows Aging of the Brain

Study Published in the October 10, 2005 issue of the Archives of Neurology.
You can read the entire article here

In brief, researchers looked at people 65 years of age and over to see if intakes of fish and omega-3 fatty acids protected against “age-related cognitive decline.”

What did they find? Quoted from the article in the Archives of Neurology:
“Dietary intake of fish was inversely associated with cognitive decline over 6 years in this older, biracial community study.

The rate of decline was reduced by 10% to 13% per year among persons who consumed 1 or more fish meals per week compared with those with less than weekly consumption.

The rate reduction is the equivalent of being 3 to 4 years younger in age.

There were no consistent associations with the omega-3 fatty acids, although the effect estimates were in the direction of slower decline.”

Resistance Training Important for Aging Muscles and Tendons

Reeves ND, Narici MV, Maganaris CN. MYOTENDINOUS PLASTICITY TO AGEING AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE. Experimental Physiology (2006)DOI: 10.1113/expphysiol.2005.032896

Researchers writing the medical journal Experimental Physiology say that resistance training is not only good for preventing age-related loss of muscle but for tendons as well.

From the abstract: “The age-related loss of muscle mass known as sarcopenia is one of the main determinants of frailty in old age. Molecular, cellular, nutritional and hormonal mechanisms are at the basis of sarcopenia and are responsible for a progressive deterioration in skeletal muscle size and function.

Resistance training can however cause substantial gains in muscle mass and strength and provides a protective effect against several of the cellular and molecular changes associated with muscle wasting and weakness.

In old age, not only muscles, but also tendons are highly responsive to training, as an increase in tendon stiffness has been observed after a period of increased loading. Many of the myotendinous factors characterizing ageing can be at least partly reversed by resistance training.”

Read the full abstract

DHEA, Bone Mineral Density, Older Adults

Researchers writing in the medical journal The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, say that DHEA replacement therapy for one year improved hip Bone Mineral Density in older adults and spine Bone Mineral Density in older women.

Jankowski CM, Gozansky WS, Schwartz RS, Dahl DJ, Kittelson JM, Scott SM, Pelt RE, Kohrt WM. Effects of DHEA Replacement Therapy on Bone Mineral Density in Older Adults: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 May 30

The Importance of Strength Training Exercises in Aging

Researchers writing in the medical journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research say that “although aerobic exercise is important in maintaining overall health, the resistance type of muscle training may be more applicable to the basic rules of bone adaptation and site-specific effects of exercise, have more favorable effects in maintaining or improving bone mass and architecture, and be safe and feasible for older people.”

Suominen H. Muscle training for bone strength. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2006 Apr;18(2):85-93.

From the abstract:
“The main function of bone is to provide the mechanical integrity for locomotion and protection; accordingly, bone mass and architecture are adjusted to control the strains produced by mechanical load and muscular activity.

Age-related patterns involve peak bone mass during growth, a plateau in adulthood, and bone loss during aging. The decline in bone mass and structural integrity results in increased risk of fractures, particularly in post-menopausal women.

Although aerobic exercise is important in maintaining overall health, the resistance type of muscle training may be more applicable to the basic rules of bone adaptation and site-specific effects of exercise, have more favorable effects in maintaining or improving bone mass and architecture, and be safe and feasible for older people.

It has been suggested that there is an opportunity for resistance training, for improved effects on BMD (Bone Mass Density) in postmenopausal women in bones which have less daily loading. In addition to BMC and BMD, bone geometry and mass distribution may also change as a result of training and other treatment, such as hormonal replacement therapy, thereby further improving bone strength and reducing fracture risk. Appropriate training regimens may reduce the risk of falls and the severity of fall-related injuries, and also constitute potential therapy to improve functional ability and the quality of life in osteoporotic patients. However, further research is needed on dose-response relationships between exercise and bone strength, the feasibility of high-load, high-speed and impact-type of physical training, and the risks and benefits of intensive exercisein elderly individuals.

Related articles
You May Need To Exercise More To Avoid Fat Accumulation Associated With Aging

Resistance Training Important for Aging Muscles AND Tendons

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