Practice of moderate physical activity can attenuate the loss of lean body mass in menopausal women

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between physical activity (PA) and total body (BLM), leg (LLM) and arm lean mass (ALM) in menopausal women. Sixty two 62 menopausal women were included (61.2±7.6 years). Their practice of PA was assessed by Actigraph GT3X accelerometer, and is reported as minutes per week of light or moderate-vigorous PA, and total PA. The sample was dichotomized into two groups according to their weekly practice of PA moderate-vigorous; physically active (≥150 minutes) and insufficiently active (<150 minutes). Body composition measures were assessed by DXA and were reported as percentages. Comparisons between the groups of PA and total and segmental lean body mass were performed by independent t test. Association between the tertile of BLM and the groups of PA were performed by chi-square test. Physically active women showed significantly higher mean values for BLM (52.8±5.4 vs 49.8±4.7; p=0.028) and LLM (17.1±2.2 vs 15.9±1.8; p=0.026), whereas the difference in the ALM was not significant. When the BLM was categorized into tertiles, it was significantly greater in physically active women (higher tertile=44.7%), compared with the insufficiently active women (higher tertile=16.7%). Menopausal women who spent more minutes engaged in moderate-vigorous PA can showed higher BLM and LLM.Keywords: menopause, women, motor activity, accelerometry, skeletal muscle, health. RESUMOO objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a relação da atividade física (AF) e massa corporal magra total (BLM), de pernas (LLM) e braços (ALM) em mulheres na menopausa. Participaram do estudo 62 mulheres (61.2±7.6 anos). A pratica habitual de AF foi avaliada através do acelerômetro marca Actigraph GT3X e foi expressa em minutos por semana de AF leve e moderada-vigorosa, e AF total. A amostra foi dicotomizada em dois grupos de acordo com a prática semanal de AF moderada-vigorosa; grupo fisicamente ativo (≥150 minutos) e insuficientemente ativo (<150 minutos). A medidas de composição corporal foram estimadas utilizando o DEXA e foi reportada como percentual. A comparação entre os grupos de AF e a massa corporal magra total e segmentar foram realizadas pelo test t independente. A associação entre os tercis de BLM e os grupos de AF foi realizado pelo Qui-quadrado. O grupo fisicamente ativo apresentou maiores valores médios para BML (52.8±5.4 vs 49.8±4.7; p=0.028) e LLM (17.1±2.2 vs 15.9±1.8; p=0.026), enquanto que a diferença para ALM não foi estatisticamente diferente. Quando o BLM foi categorizado em tercis, 44.7% das mulheres fisicamente ativas se encontravam no tercil superior, enquanto que apenas 16.7% das insuficientemente ativas se encontravam nesse tercil. Mulheres na menopausa que despende maior tempo tempo em AF moderada-vigorosa podem apresentar maiores valores de massa corporal magra total e segmentar.

Trajectory and determinants of change in lean soft tissue over the postpartum period

“…In contrast, the accrual of LST has many benefits including increased metabolic rate ( 10 ) , reduction in inflammatory markers ( 11 ) and decreased risk of age-related diseases such as sarcopenia ( 8 , 12 ) . Efforts to prevent LST decline should be initiated before menopause ( 13 ) as previous research suggests that regular physical activity and adequate energy and protein intakes can attenuate losses in LST as women age ( 14 – 16 ) . The established functional ( 17 ) and metabolic properties ( 18 ) of LST illustrate the importance of maintaining this body composition compartment for overall health.…”

Weekly time spent in the standing position is independently related to a better quality of life in postmenopausal women

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that sedentary behavior plays a central role in the development of several chronic diseases [31,32], and, on the other hand, engaging in sufficient MVPA is recommended to avoid these outcomes [1]. Recently, our group demonstrated that engaging in sufficient MVPA could result in positive outcomes for body composition [8,11], glucose homeostasis [10] and inflammation markers [6]. Indeed, being moderately active implies a 26% and 27% less chance of premature death from chronic disease in overweight and obese people, respectively [33].…”

“…The positive relationship between prolonged standing and quality of life can be explained by its effect on health outcomes. For example, postmenopausal women who engage in recommended amounts of physical activity present lower body fat values [8,48], higher lean and mass values [11,48] and a better immunometabolic profile [6,10]. Furthermore, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is inversely related to several pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 and 1b, C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-a, and positively related to adiponectin, one of the most anti-inflammatory cytokines [49][50][51].…”

“…It is well established that being physically active results in a better general health status, including among postmenopausal women [6,8,10,11]. In contrast, epidemiological studies have shown that sedentary behavior increases the likelihood of developing chronic diseases, and thus, impairing quality of life [12,13].…”

The role of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in mediating the relationship between central adiposity and immunometabolic profile in postmenopausal women

“…It is also associated with decreased physical activity levels (2), which can favor the development of obesity (3). In contrast, engaging in recommended (≥ 150 minutes per week) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (4) has been associated with improved body composition profile, including decreased body fat and increased lean mass (5,6).…”