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Physical activity and immune function in elderly women
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1993
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Physical ActivityAgingSuperior NkCardiorespiratory ExerciseKinesiologyHealthy AgingExercisePhysical ExerciseApplied PhysiologyControlled Experimental DesignHealth SciencesGeriatricsPhysical FitnessCardiorespiratory FitnessExercise ScienceExercise PhysiologyActive AgeingMedicineWomen's Health
The study examined how cardiorespiratory exercise influences immune function and upper respiratory tract infection risk in elderly women over a 12‑week period. Thirty‑two sedentary women aged 67–85 were randomized to 12 weeks of walking (60 % heart‑rate reserve) or low‑intensity calisthenics, while 12 highly conditioned active women served as cross‑sectional controls. Highly conditioned elderly women exhibited higher NK and T‑cell activity at baseline, and although moderate exercise improved VO₂max, it did not enhance immune function in sedentary participants; URTI incidence was lowest in the conditioned group and highest in the calisthenic group. The abstract was truncated at 250 words.
The relationship between cardiorespiratory exercise, immune function, and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was studied in elderly women utilizing a randomized controlled experimental design with a follow-up of 12 wk. Thirty-two sedentary, elderly Caucasian women, 67-85 yr of age, who met specific selection criteria, were randomized to either a walking or calisthenic group; 30 completed the study. Twelve highly conditioned elderly women, 65-84 yr of age, who were active in endurance competitions, were recruited at baseline for cross-sectional comparisons. Intervention groups exercised 30-40 min, 5 d.wk-1, for 12 wk, with the walking group training at 60% heart rate reserve and the calisthenic group engaging in mild range-of-motion and flexibility movements that kept their heart rates close to resting levels. At baseline, the highly conditioned subjects exhibited superior NK (119 +/- 13 vs 77 +/- 8 lytic units, P < 0.01) and T (33.3 +/- 4.9 vs 21.4 +/- 2.1 cpm x 10(-3) using PHA, P < 0.05) cell function, despite no differences in circulating levels of lymphocyte subpopulations. Twelve weeks of moderate cardiorespiratory exercise improved the VO2max of the sedentary subjects 12.6%, but did not result in any improvement in NK cell activity or T cell function. Incidence of URTI was lowest in the highly conditioned group and highest in the calisthenic control group during the 12-wk study, with the walkers in an intermediate position (chi-square = 6.36, P = 0.042). In conclusion, the highly conditioned elderly women in this study had superior NK and T cell function when compared with their sedentary counterparts. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)