Background: Chronological aging is associated with a decrease in physical activity levels and consequently a decline in physical fitness, which may contribute to adverse conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity and physical impairment. Objectives: This study sought to examine the effects of an 8-week physical activity intervention program on nutritional status and health-related physical fitness among Thai older adults. Methods: Fifteen healthy elderly volunteers (aged 60 -75 years) completed an 8-week physical activity intervention that comprises a nine matrices exercise (NME) program (5 sessions per week of 30 -60 minutes). Measurements were taken at baseline and after 8 weeks, and included height, weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and health-related physical fitness tests (6-minute walk, chair sit-and-reach, arm curl, back scratch, chair stand and 8-ft up and go). Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: Over an 8-week intervention study, participants significantly improved their weight (%∆ = -2.5, P < 0.001), BMI (%∆ = -2.5, P < 0.001), cardiorespiratory fitness (%∆ = +13.9, P = 0.001), arm curl (%∆ = +45.9, P = 0.001) and leg squat (%∆ = +42.8, P = 0.001) muscular strength, shoulder (%∆ = +9.8, P = 0.006) and lower back (%∆ = +15.0, P = 0.001) flexibility and agility and balance (%∆ = -3.9, P = 0.003). Blood pressure did not change significantly during the study period (P > 0.05). Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that an 8-week NME program represents an effective strategy for improving nutritional status and health-related physical fitness in elderly Thai people.
Background: Kaempfera (K.) parviflora (i.e., Thai ginseng) is believed to have medicinal properties associated with good health (e.g., increased vitality, metabolism booster) because it expands blood vessels, which allows for increased blood flow. These effects might extend into the realm of improving physical performance, specifically that of the cardiovascular system. Objectives: A randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel design study was conducted to determine the effects of 12 weeks of K. parviflora supplementation on the cardiovascular endurance of healthy male adults. Methods: Participants included 57 Thai air force cadets who were undergoing physical training for sports competition. Participants were randomly divided into either the treatment group (n = 30) (Age = 20.30 + 0.65 yrs.) or control group (n = 27) (Age = 20.37 + 0.68 yrs.). Treatment group participants received 360 mg of K. parviflora extract in capsule form, and those in the control group received a placebo capsule. Measurements included lactate threshold and heart rate recovery, assessed at baseline and weeks 6 and 12. Group differences were assessed using a 2 (group) × 3 (time) repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: No main or interaction effects were observed for the lactate threshold (all P > 0.05). No group differences were observed for heart rate recovery (P > 0.05); however, a significant time effect was observed for heart rate recovery at weeks 6 and 12 (P < 0.05), which also marked the beginning of an interaction effect showing that those in the experimental group improved more than those in the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusions: In this set of observations, 12-weeks of K. parviflora supplementation had no effect on the lactate threshold; however, it does appear that it might have improved heart rate recovery.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.