NFSC 223 Notes Ch 8-12
Chapter 8 – Physical Activity In Old Age
I. Introduction
1. While we age, the prevalence of many diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer and
osteoporosis… and the risk for disease like hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol),
hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity… increases with age.
2. These will disrupt our lifestyle and our ability to live independently, even in healthy
individuals, due to a reduction in functional capacities like reduction in: 1) muscle
strength, 2) endurance, 3) flexibility, 4) balance.
3. This limits our ability to perform our everyday tasks like: standing, taking a shower,
going for a small walk, pedestrian crossing…
4. Ageing is associated with:
1) A decline in physical fitness and mobility
2) A decline in cognitive function
3) Dementia (in severe cases): memory loss like Alzheimer’s
Evidence suggests that physical activity may ameliorate (make better) age-related
declines in cognitive function, and reduce the risk of dementia.
Regular physical activity helps the elderly to maintain their independence, and hence a
good quality of life.
Decline in Functional Capacities
- The effect of ageing on physical fitness is in this example:
- Beyond age (35–40) years, marathon run time increases gradually in men and women until age
(70). This increase is equivalent to approximately 1% per year in men and 2% in women
between the ages of (35–40) and (70).
,- Why is there a difference between men and women in marathon run time: 1% increase per year
for men and 2% for women? Women are known to have better oxidated enzymes vs. men. Men
have more muscle mass.
Graph
- This is the marathon run time for men and women.
- We have time limit and age group.
- We start above 35 and we go above 90.
- There is an increase in marathon time for women vs. men and this will increase with age.
- VO2 max is the same in women, and there is a decline in VO2 max of 1% per year from the age
of 25 onwards.
-But this depends on different factors like physical activity levels and exercise. If you exercise
and you continue doing so, you will prevent this decline.
- Continual hard training may be able to prevent any decline in VO2 max until the late 30s.
- Individuals who continue exercising into old age retain higher VO2 max values than those who
stop training or remain untrained.
Graph
The decline in VO2 max with age in untrained healthy
persons, and in athletes who continue to train
,There is also 20-year follow-up from older track athletes who continued to train at either a
high, moderate, or low intensity
Graph: VO2 max per age and training intensity
- On the y-axis you have VO2 max values, and on the x-axis you have the age.
- We have athletes and the untrained.
- In both athletes and untrained: VO2 declines with age, but with athletes it starts at a higher
level. Athletes at 80 years of age resemble sedentary in untrained at the age of 35-40.
- If you are an athlete: It is better to train at moderate or high rather than low intensity because
if you train low intensity, the VO2 max will decrease abruptly at the age of 50. At the age of 60,
the athletes who train at low intensity will have lower VO2 max compared to athletes who
practice moderate or high.
Conclusion:
- This decline in VO2 max with age is primarily due to the inability of the muscle to extract
oxygen from the blood. The blood goes out of the heart to get oxygen, and then back to the heart.
- In the case of the elderly, the muscles cannot extract all this oxygen. There is a 15% reduction
in the maximal difference between the oxygen content of the blood going out of the heart and the
blood coming back into it. This means there is a 15% less intake of oxygen by the muscles. This
is the major cause of the decline in VO2 max.
, - This indicates that oxygen supply is not compromised with age because we can still have
oxygen, but it is the inability of the muscle to extract and utilize oxygen to produce energy.
- Muscle strength will decline with age as well. This study:
40% of women aged 55 & 64
45% of women aged 65 & 74 were unable to lift 4.5kg. This is mainly due to
65% of women aged 75 & 84 years a lack of physical exercise.
Graph
The decline in muscle strength with age
Knee extensor strength (Nm) between men and women
Exercise Training and Functional Capacities
1. The elderly can benefit from regular exercise like younger population. They can benefit as
much.
2. This is demonstrated in this study. We took 5 male subjects in 1966. We trained them, and we
measured the VO2 max before and after training in 1966.
Chapter 8 – Physical Activity In Old Age
I. Introduction
1. While we age, the prevalence of many diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer and
osteoporosis… and the risk for disease like hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol),
hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity… increases with age.
2. These will disrupt our lifestyle and our ability to live independently, even in healthy
individuals, due to a reduction in functional capacities like reduction in: 1) muscle
strength, 2) endurance, 3) flexibility, 4) balance.
3. This limits our ability to perform our everyday tasks like: standing, taking a shower,
going for a small walk, pedestrian crossing…
4. Ageing is associated with:
1) A decline in physical fitness and mobility
2) A decline in cognitive function
3) Dementia (in severe cases): memory loss like Alzheimer’s
Evidence suggests that physical activity may ameliorate (make better) age-related
declines in cognitive function, and reduce the risk of dementia.
Regular physical activity helps the elderly to maintain their independence, and hence a
good quality of life.
Decline in Functional Capacities
- The effect of ageing on physical fitness is in this example:
- Beyond age (35–40) years, marathon run time increases gradually in men and women until age
(70). This increase is equivalent to approximately 1% per year in men and 2% in women
between the ages of (35–40) and (70).
,- Why is there a difference between men and women in marathon run time: 1% increase per year
for men and 2% for women? Women are known to have better oxidated enzymes vs. men. Men
have more muscle mass.
Graph
- This is the marathon run time for men and women.
- We have time limit and age group.
- We start above 35 and we go above 90.
- There is an increase in marathon time for women vs. men and this will increase with age.
- VO2 max is the same in women, and there is a decline in VO2 max of 1% per year from the age
of 25 onwards.
-But this depends on different factors like physical activity levels and exercise. If you exercise
and you continue doing so, you will prevent this decline.
- Continual hard training may be able to prevent any decline in VO2 max until the late 30s.
- Individuals who continue exercising into old age retain higher VO2 max values than those who
stop training or remain untrained.
Graph
The decline in VO2 max with age in untrained healthy
persons, and in athletes who continue to train
,There is also 20-year follow-up from older track athletes who continued to train at either a
high, moderate, or low intensity
Graph: VO2 max per age and training intensity
- On the y-axis you have VO2 max values, and on the x-axis you have the age.
- We have athletes and the untrained.
- In both athletes and untrained: VO2 declines with age, but with athletes it starts at a higher
level. Athletes at 80 years of age resemble sedentary in untrained at the age of 35-40.
- If you are an athlete: It is better to train at moderate or high rather than low intensity because
if you train low intensity, the VO2 max will decrease abruptly at the age of 50. At the age of 60,
the athletes who train at low intensity will have lower VO2 max compared to athletes who
practice moderate or high.
Conclusion:
- This decline in VO2 max with age is primarily due to the inability of the muscle to extract
oxygen from the blood. The blood goes out of the heart to get oxygen, and then back to the heart.
- In the case of the elderly, the muscles cannot extract all this oxygen. There is a 15% reduction
in the maximal difference between the oxygen content of the blood going out of the heart and the
blood coming back into it. This means there is a 15% less intake of oxygen by the muscles. This
is the major cause of the decline in VO2 max.
, - This indicates that oxygen supply is not compromised with age because we can still have
oxygen, but it is the inability of the muscle to extract and utilize oxygen to produce energy.
- Muscle strength will decline with age as well. This study:
40% of women aged 55 & 64
45% of women aged 65 & 74 were unable to lift 4.5kg. This is mainly due to
65% of women aged 75 & 84 years a lack of physical exercise.
Graph
The decline in muscle strength with age
Knee extensor strength (Nm) between men and women
Exercise Training and Functional Capacities
1. The elderly can benefit from regular exercise like younger population. They can benefit as
much.
2. This is demonstrated in this study. We took 5 male subjects in 1966. We trained them, and we
measured the VO2 max before and after training in 1966.
