Can sports change your life at the age of 100? Several research teams from the University of Zaragoza, IIS Biogipuzkoa (Ministry of Health of the Basque Government and Usakidtza) and Ciber have confirmed that physical exercise is not only … Useful at older ages, however It can change the lives of even centenarians.
This research, published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, is groundbreaking worldwide and has confirmed that people’s functional ability, measured by metrics and biomarkers, can be maintained and improved through physical exercise even at older ages.
The study was conducted on 19 centenarians.Of them, 12 completed the training program, and the rest were in the control group. For three months, participants implemented a programme Strength training with weights and weigh your body twice a week, It starts with 20-minute sessions and goes up to 40-45 minutes. The intervention group improved significantly on all measures of frailty and functional ability, in addition to showing positive changes in biomarkers associated with frailty.
19
Centenarians were the subject of the study. Twelve of them completed the training programme
The work was previously coordinated noria Garataccia, Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences and member of the Exer-GENUD group at the University of Zaragoza, and Ander Mathieu, Head of the Department of Aging at the Institute of Ismaili Studies of Puigipuzcoa of the Ministry of Health of the Government of Basque Country and Usakidtza. It involved several teams from the Center for Biomedical Research Network, CIBER, and the Geriatric Services of Albacete and Toledo Hospital, led by doctors Pedro Abezanda and Leocadio Rodríguez Manas, respectively.
Effects on daily life
“This study confirms that functional ability can be maintained and improved through physical exercise even at older ages,” says Dr. Matthew.
“It’s never too late to start training.”The Aragonese researcher Garataccia adds, “We have shown in this study that exercise changes your life even at these advanced ages.” Although we cannot confirm that this prolongs their lives, the quality of life improves: independence, security and well-being.
The research team highlights the high involvement of participants. Beyond the data, the results are reflected in everyday life. “It changed their lives,” concludes Dr. Garataccia.
A 103-year-old man went from needing help going to the bathroom to being able to wake up on his own at night: ““I actually drink water, because now I can go to the bathroom myself.”“, said one of the participants proudly. A 102-year-old woman, who was initially in a wheelchair, regained sufficient strength to stand and sit without assistance. «The important thing is how they improve their quality of life in their daily lives. They start to get up from the chair and walk using a walker”, highlights the specialist from the University of Zaragoza.
“You change their lives”
Dr. Noria Garataccia
Professor at the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, University of Zaragoza
Centenarians are a population group It shows extreme longevity and tends to become more fragile Until the last years of his life. Various studies conducted in global populations have observed that interventions through physical exercise reverse frailty and improve functional capacity in older people.
“Taking into account that out of every 100,000 inhabitants, only 11 people are 100 years old or older, it is necessary to point out how difficult it is to reach the necessary number of people for the study,” says Matthew.
In the study, in addition to the functional impact, Blood samples were analyzed To evaluate biomarkers associated with frailty. The results were clear: after the intervention, Improvements in the expression of some key markers were observedAs well as inflammatory cytokines. “These changes were associated with functional improvement, confirming that exercise not only strengthens muscles but also regulates biological processes associated with aging and frailty,” explains Dr. Matthew.
“The best research model for healthy aging is centenarians,” Dr. Garraticchia concludes. “People can reach 100 years old Because they are actually healthy Therefore, it is very important to study biomarkers and response to interventions to identify protective factors against frailty.
Population aging represents a challenge to the social, economic and health system and to society in general. Population aging is constantly increasing around the world, especially in more developed countries, and this growth is not expected to stop. Hence the importance of conducting this type of study that facilitates the decision-making process regarding population aging.
Cooperation between entities
The research project was initiated in 2018 by the EXER-GENUD research group of the University of Zaragoza, and has been continued with… Housing intervention exercise in January 2020Although the pandemic forced it to be interrupted for some time.
The study was expanded through biological analyzes and the current scientific publication is the result of three years of collaborative work with the Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute and was funded by the Adinberri Call of the Guipúzcoa Provincial Council, the Ministry of Health of the Basque Government, the Carlos III Health Institute and the CIBER Frailty and Healthy Aging Regions.
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