The health benefits of exercise are well-established for people of all ages. But until now, little has been known about which type of exercise best counters the aging process in senior citizens.
The answer may be high-intensity interval training, suggests a new study published in Cell Metabolism by researchers from the Mayo Clinic.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates short bursts of intense aerobic activity such as biking or walking with short periods of easing up on the same activity.
This type of exercise, which originated in Sweden, is promoted as an efficient training method that avoids the risk of injuries associated with non-stop, repetitive activity.
Compared to other types of exercise, it appears to be dramatically more effective at boosting the activity of aging cells and even reversing age-related cellular damage.
The Mayo Clinic researchers recruited 72 healthy but sedentary men and women from two age groups: “young” subjects ages 18-30 and “older” subjects ages 65-80.
The researchers conducted baseline measurements of aerobic fitness, lean muscle mass, blood-sugar levels, and insulin sensitivity. After taking biopsies from the subjects’ thighs, they also assessed genetic activity in muscle cells and the health of the energy-producing mitochondria within those cells.
As we age, mitochondrial capacity gradually deteriorates. As a result, cells become damaged and weak.
The researchers randomly assigned subjects to one of three groups:
HIIT on stationary bicycles. Three days per week, they pedaled hard for four minutes, eased up for three minutes, then repeated the sequence three more times. On other days, they did a moderate treadmill routine,
Moderate-intensity training. Three days per week, they pedaled on stationary bikes for 30 minutes. On other days, they lifted light weights.
Vigorous weight training. Participants engaged in weight lifting several times per week.
No exercise. A fourth group did not engage in organized physical activity.
After 12 weeks, the researchers found that all three exercise groups experienced significant gains in fitness and blood-sugar regulation compared to non-exercisers.
As expected, they found that the high-intensity interval training group had the biggest improvement in endurance while the weight training group had the biggest improvement in muscle mass and strength.
But they were astonished to find that high-intensity interval training was most strongly associated with age-reversing changes at the genetic and cellular levels.
In the “younger” group assigned to high-intensity interval training, the activity level changed in 274 genes. That compared to activity-level changes in 170 genes in the moderate-intensity training group and 74 genes in the weight training group.
Genetic changes were even more dramatic in the “older” group assigned to high-intensity interval training. They saw activity-level changes in nearly 400 genes. That compared to activity-level changes in only 33 genes in the weight training group and only 19 genes in the moderate-intensity training group.
High-intensity interval training had a similar effect on mitochondrial capacity: a 49 percent increase in the “younger” group and a whopping 69 percent increase in the “older” group.
This type of exercise also led to improved insulin sensitivity, which is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes.
The researchers cautioned that their primary goal was to show how exercise works at a molecular level, not to provide prescriptive exercise for seniors or anyone else. They hope to learn more about how exercise benefits different tissues in the body.
For the time being, they say that vigorous exercise remains the most effective way to bolster health.
“There are substantial basic science data to support the idea that exercise is critically important to prevent or delay aging. There’s no substitute for that,” senior author Dr. Sreekumaran Nair said in a statement.
Most experts agree that many older adults can participate in an age-appropriate high-intensity interval training program that takes into account their physical limitations.
Older adults are more likely to have an underlying health issue such as osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension or a history heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
So it’s essential for them to consult with their primary care provider and take a cardio-stress test before beginning a new exercise program, especially one that involves vigorous activity.
Local bans on artery-clogging trans fats in restaurant foods led to fewer heart attacks and strokes in several New York counties, a new study suggests.
The study hints at the potential for widespread health benefits from an upcoming nationwide ban, the authors and other experts say. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2015 gave the food industry until next year to eliminate artificial trans fats from American products.
New York City enacted a restaurant ban on the fats in 2007 and several counties in the state did the same. Hospital admissions for heart attacks and strokes in those areas declined 6 percent starting three years after the bans, compared with counties without bans. The results translate to 43 fewer heart attacks and strokes per 100,000 people, said lead author Dr. Eric Brandt, a Yale University cardiology fellow.
His study was published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology.
Trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated oils, enhance food texture and structure. They were once commonly used to make restaurant fried chicken, French fries, doughnuts and other foods and found in grocery items including cookies, crackers and margarine.
These fats can boost blood levels of unhealthy cholesterol, increasing risks for heart problems. The FDA in 2006 required them to be listed on food labels and the food industry has been switching to healthier oils.
The researchers examined hospital admissions data from 2002 to 2013 in 11 New York counties that adopted bans and in 25 counties that did not. Admissions for heart attacks and strokes declined in all counties, going from more than 800 to less than 700 per 100,000 people, but the drop was steeper in counties that enacted bans.
Alice Lichtenstein, a heart and nutrition specialist at Tufts University’s Boston campus, said the results are encouraging but that other changes could have contributed, such as smoking bans and mandatory calories on menus.
Dr. Mark Creager, former American Heart Association president, said the results echo previous studies “and are consistent with the thinking of most scientists” on potential benefits of these bans.
“Policies such as these when adapted on a nationwide level will be good for our entire population,” said Creager, director of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s heart center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Many nursing home residents suffering from chronic pain don’t get any medication or don’t get enough to fully relieve their symptoms, a recent U.S. study suggests.
Researchers examined data on almost 1.4 million residents in nursing homes nationwide from 2011 to 2012 and found that overall, roughly two in five had either intermittent or chronic pain.
Among the residents with persistent pain, about 6 percent received no medication at all and another 32 percent didn’t get enough drugs to properly address their symptoms, the study found.
“The good news is that we documented lower levels of untreated pain than previous studies,” said lead study author Jacob Hunnicutt of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.
“However, pain may still be undertreated and disparities in pain management by cognitive impairment and race/ethnicity remain,” Hunnicutt said by email.
Previous studies have estimated that at least 40 percent of nursing home residents experience persistent pain, and that 20 percent of those in pain don’t get any medications, researchers note in the journal Pain.
More than 1.4 million adults live in U.S. nursing homes, including about 3 percent of people over 65 and roughly 10 percent of people over 85.
For the current study, researchers examined data on nursing home residents who spent at least 100 days in the same facility with no gaps in residency of more than 30 days.
Residents provided information on the intensity and frequency of any pain they experienced as well as any medications provided during two assessments three months apart. Participants were counted as having persistent pain if they described pain on both assessments, and intermittent pain if they only mentioned it during one of the assessments.
If residents reported pain and didn’t have any scheduled or as-needed medications noted in their medical records, researchers counted them as having untreated pain. If their records only included as-needed pain medications, researchers counted them has having potentially undertreated pain.
Non-white residents were 19 percent more likely than white residents to have undertreated or untreated pain, the study found.
In addition, residents with severe cognitive impairments were 51 percent more likely to have untreated or undertreated pain than people with only mild impairments or none at all.
One of the study authors is a consultant with the pharmacy benefits manager and drugstore chain CVS Caremark.
Limitations of the study include the lack of data on pain levels between the two assessments, the authors note. Researchers also relied on residents to accurately recall and report on their own pain levels, which can be subjective.
The study also didn’t account for patient preferences or medical histories, said Dr. Gary Winzelberg, a geriatrics researcher at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill who wasn’t involved in the study.
“It’s possible that some patients prefer not to receive pain medications and may use non-pharmacologic approaches to managing their pain,” Winzelberg said by email.
Some residents might not believe they should report being in pain or think they shouldn’t take medications. This might at least partially explain why older adults, men and residents of color were less likely to report pain and receive medications, Winzelberg added.
Residents and families can see how nursing homes compare on pain management and other quality measures online, Hunnicutt said.
To avoid untreated pain, residents and their loved ones shouldn’t be shy about speaking up, said Dr. XinQi Dong of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago.
“Patients and family should seek help when the pain is beginning to rise, and not to wait until pain is intolerable before asking for pain medications,” Dong, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
“After adequate assessment, health care professionals should provide an adequate mixture of long acting and short acting pain medications for those with chronic and inadequately treated pain,” Dong added.
The UTEP women�s tennis team (0-1 C-USA, 4-12 overall) will look to end its regular season on a high note when it hosts Interstate-10 rival NM State (3-2 WAC, 8-12 overall) at the El Paso Tennis and Swim Club on Friday, April 14. First serve is 11 a.m.
For the first time since March 4, the Miners will have six players at their disposal. The team has been besieged by injuries and has played its last three matches with only four players.
It will also mark the last time seniors Daphne Visscher and Duda Santos, who will return from an injury, will play in front of their home crowd. The two will be honored before the event.
Defending their court alongside Visscher and Santos will be Milou Pietersz, Raven Bennett, Lois Wagenvoort and Maria Paula Medina.
Last Sunday, the Miners fell 4-0 to UTSA in the only Conference USA match of the season, but not easily. Bennett and Visscher were leading the Roadrunners� Sonia Medina Madronal and Denisa Ibrahimovic 5-3 before their match was called and left unfinished.
Pietersz battled with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association�s No. 99 ranked singles player in Miriam Rosell but fell short 6-1, 6-4. Wagenvoort was leading UTSA�s Charleen Tiwari 6-2, 4-3 before the match was called and Maria Paula Medina, who returned after being cleared from a concussion, took the first set from Linda Hallgren 6-3 and was playing in a 2-all set on court four before the match was called.
The Aggies boast the reigning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week in freshman Rebecca Keijzerwaard, who went 3-0 last week in NM State�s non-conference action against Western New Mexico and UTSA. Keijzerwaard has a team-best 4-2 record in dual action and teams up with fellow freshman Vanessa Valdez at the No. 1 spot in doubles. The duo has recorded a 5-2 record.
The UTEP men�s basketball team will look to blend a mix of returning talent with promising newcomers when it plays three preseason games in Costa Rica this August.
�The significance of this is that we have a terrific group coming in, seven new players that will be added to our core group of returners,� UTEP coach Tim Floyd said on Wednesday.� �This trip gives us a tremendous opportunity to bring these young guys along and get them better.�
The trip is slated for Aug. 15-20, and fans are invited to join the team in Central America.� Travel packages will be available for purchase, with details forthcoming.
Floyd said the teams the Miners face will be composed of professionals from Central and South America, as well as �the best players Costa Rica can offer.�
College basketball teams are permitted to take a foreign tour once every four years.� This will be the first foreign tour by a UTEP men�s basketball squad since the 2005-06 club traveled to Spain and the Canary Islands.
Perhaps the best thing about the tour, besides the cultural and game experience, is the fact that the Miners will get 10 days of practice in El Paso ahead of time.
�It gives our team a chance to get off to a better start than we had last year,� Floyd said.
The 2016-17 Miners rallied from a 2-13 start to finish 13-4 and tie for third place in Conference USA with a 12-6 mark.
I�ve had a ton of fun coaching you all this week! There�s been a pretty good vibe and buzz around the gym lately and it�s awesome to be able to be a part of.
Today�s metcon should be handled as a sprint interval workout. This simply means that when it�s your turn to work, you need to try and move quickly because you will have a decent amount of rest in-between your individual working rounds. Have fun!
-Jon Jon
Strength:
Superset x 5:
10 Bench Presses @ 60%
10 Difficult Ring Rows (weighted, if necessary)
*rest about 2 minutes between sets
Metcon:
Teams of 2 (alternating every round, relay style):
6 Rounds:
200m Run
25 Wallballs
4 Rounds:
200m Run
25 GHD Situps (if there aren�t enough machines, x2 sit-ups)
Wondering exactly how much protein you should be consuming each day?�The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), which is the minimum amount you need to be healthy, is 0.8 grams per kilogram (0.36 grams per pound) of body weight per day�46 grams for an average woman. That equals as little as 10% of daily calories. If you’re not super active, that’s likely adequate, and you’ll hit the target effortlessly if you follow a typical Western diet.
To get your personal protein “RDA,” multiple the number 0.36 by your weight in pounds. (For a sedentary 150-pound woman, that would be 54 grams.) Double it if you’re very active or aiming for “optimal protein,” which can help you maintain muscle as you age and support weight loss.
American women already eat about 68 grams a day, according to the latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. “There’s no reason to go out of your way to get protein,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy. “Just eat a variety of fish, nuts, beans, seeds, and dairy, including yogurt.”�However, increasing your protein well above the RDA may make sense if…
That means getting at least 35 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise four or five days a week, including resistance training two or more times a week. Consider eating 1.2 to 2 grams of dietary protein per kilogram (or about 0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound) of body weight each day, says Nancy Rodriguez, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut. That amount is best for rebuilding muscle tissue, especially if you do a lot of high-intensity workouts, research suggests.
Protein takes longer to digest than carbs, helping you feel full, and also pushes your body to secrete the gut hormone peptide YY, which reduces hunger. “When you bring protein to about 30% of your daily calories, you’ll naturally eat less,” says Lauren Slayton, RD, founder of Foodtrainers, a nutrition practice in New York City, and author of The Little Book of Thin. “Protein decreases appetite and also, in my experience, helps you manage cravings.”
While studies are mixed about whether consuming more protein leads to weight loss, research is pretty clear that protein can help you retain more of your lean muscle as you lose fat. One 2011 study suggests amping up protein to as much as 1.8 to 2 grams per kilogram (roughly 0.8 to 0.9 grams per pound) of body weight per day to stave off muscle loss when restricting calories. Cut back on refined carbs to balance out the extra calories from adding protein.
Eating more protein as you get older may help you maintain muscle and ward off osteoporosis, “so you can stay stronger and more functional,” says Rodriguez. In a 2015 study, adults over the age of 50 who roughly doubled the RDA (eating 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram, or 0.68 grams per pound, of body weight) were better able to rebuild and retain muscle after only four days, compared with control groups eating the RDA.
Doubling the RDA gives you “optimal protein,” a concept that Rodriguez and more than 40 nutrition scientists advanced at a recent Protein Summit, the findings from which were published in 2015 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Optimal protein works out to be about 15% to 25% of your daily calories, still below the level recommended by many popular high-protein diets. Over a day, that could look like 20-30 grams per meal and 12 to 15 grams per snack, for a total of 90 to 105 grams daily.
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