The Effect of a Mixed Circuit of Aerobic and Resistance Training on Body Composition in Older Adults—Retrospective Study

Abstract

Ageing is inevitably associated with body composition changes, such as loss of muscle mass, increase in the total fat mass, and unfavorable reduction of subcutaneous fat. Physical activity exerts significant effects on the body composition. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of two different weekly doses of resistance-aerobic training on the body composition in older people. The study consisted in a retrospective data analysis of fitness club members aged ≥60. The trainees participated in resistance-aerobic training sessions two or three times/week for a minimum of two months. A body composition analysis was performed before and after the training sessions. Group 1 (36 subjects) and Group 2 (28 subjects) had two and three training sessions/week, respectively. A higher skeletal muscle mass was found in Group 1 and lower waist-hip-ratio indices were observed in Group 2. No statistically significant differences were found in the body mass, skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, total body water, lean mass, body mass index, visceral fat area between both groups. The number of training session/week proved to be statistically insignificant for all investigated variables. Resistance-aerobic training with two sessions/week may be as effective in maintaining proper body composition in older people as the same training at the dose of three sessions/week.

Data_Sheet_1.docx

“…Considering the significant effects of exercise on appetite, a large body of evidence supports that healthy levels of glucose and leptin are critical to maximizing fat-mass control, type-2 diabetes prevention, cardiovascular risk reduction, and improved quality of life (36,(66)(67)(68)(69). In line with this study, existing research supports that improved exercise fidelity may help to independently reduce fasting glucose and leptin (13,23).…”

Effect of Aerobic, Resistance, and Combined Exercise Training on Depressive Symptoms, Quality of Life, and Muscle Strength in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…After removing duplicated studies ( n = 1625), the remaining studies were screened according to the title and the abstract, and then 3838 papers were excluded, leaving 37 full-text papers. Nineteen other papers were excluded because of the following reasons: (a) did not include a control group (Azizan & Justine, 2016; Dionigi, 2007; Fremont & Craighead, 1987; Legrand & Mille, 2009; Meigh et al, 2021; Meneghini et al, 2020; Motl et al, 2005; Pieczyńska et al, 2021; Wikman et al, 2017; Yadav & Agashe, 2018), (b) used various exercise interventions (Brittle et al, 2009; Brown et al, 2009; Chou et al, 2004; Dechamps et al, 2010; Ng et al, 2017), (c) insufficient or irrelevant data (Martins et al, 2011; McCann & Holmes, 1984), (d) subjects with mean age <60 years (Bernard et al, 2015), and (e) control group participants were active (Conradsson et al, 2010). Eighteen studies (Ansai & Rebelatto, 2015; Antunes et al, 2005; Bouaziz et al, 2019; Cassilhas et al, 2007; Clegg et al, 2014; Cunha et al, 2021; bib_Damush_and_Damush_1999Damush & Damush, 1999; Emery & Gatz, 1990; Kekäläinen et al, 2018; Kim et al, 2019, 2021; Kuo et al, 2018; Paw et al, 2004; Pedersen et al, 2017; Sahin et al, 2018; Solà-Serrabou et al, 2019; Swoap et al, 1994; Vankova et al, 2014) met our inclusion criteria and were entered in the meta-analysis (Figure 1).…”

The Effects of Exercise on Appetite in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Considering the significant effects of exercise on appetite, a large body of evidence supports that healthy levels of glucose and leptin are critical to maximizing fat-mass control, type-2 diabetes prevention, cardiovascular risk reduction, and improved quality of life ( 36 , 66 – 69 ). In line with this study, existing research supports that improved exercise fidelity may help to independently reduce fasting glucose and leptin ( 13 , 23 ).…”

“…The lack of significant weight change as a result of exercise may also support evidence that exercise and physical activity mitigate the muscle loss associated with reductions in fat-mass by promoting maintenance of fat-free mass ( 9 , 78 ). Previous research suggests that increased physical activity may improve body composition with no significant effect on body mass by promoting skeletal muscle and reducing adiposity; this may ultimately reduce the risk of sarcopenia and other frailty-related diseases ( 25 , 26 , 36 , 79 ). Further, it may be that older adults are more successful at buffering an exercise-induced hunger drive and that exercise or physical activity interventions would provide especially meaningful avenues for fat-mass loss and healthful living in aging populations.…”

“…Overall, the relationships between exercise, physical activity, and appetite are poorly researched in older adults, with a marked paucity of aging-specific data (13,17,30). Previous research (3,9,13,17,21,22,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) on the effects of exercise and physical activity on appetite in aging populations is inconsistent and appears to be unclear. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the existing literature on exercise and physical activity interventions in older adult populations, with the aim of better understanding how they may impact hunger and satiety in aging groups.…”