Exercise training improves left ventricular systolic function in older men.

Abstract

To determine whether endurance exercise training can improve left ventricular systolic function in older men, 10 healthy sedentary men (64 +/- 3 years old; mean +/- SD) were studied. Training consisted of endurance exercise 4 +/- 0.3 days per week for 11.8 +/- 2.5 months at a progressively increasing intensity of 60-80% of maximal O2 uptake (Vo2max) with additional brief bouts of exercise equal to 93 +/- 13% of Vo2max. Vo2max increased from 29.6 +/- 4.1 to 37.2 +/- 5.7 ml/kg/min (p less than 0.001). Percent body fat was decreased (17.8 +/- 3.6% versus 15.6 +/- 3.6%; p less than 0.001). Before training, left ventricular ejection fraction, determined by electrocardiographic-gated equilibrium blood pool imaging, increased only modestly during exercise (from 66.3 +/- 6.7% at rest to 70.6 +/- 6.9% at peak exercise). After training, the increase in ejection fraction during exercise was significantly greater (from 67 +/- 4.8% at rest to 77.6 +/- 7.5% at peak exercise) than that observed before training and was similar to that in young sedentary men (64 +/- 7% at rest versus 74 +/- 9% at peak exercise). Although the changes in systolic pressure from rest to exercise were similar, end-systolic volume decreased significantly at peak exercise after (51 +/- 12 versus 38 +/- 13 ml; p less than 0.005) but not before (46 +/- 8 versus 43 +/- 13 ml; p = NS) training with a shift in the end-systolic volume-systolic blood pressure relation to the left compatible with enhanced inotropic state.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)