Muscle Capillarization and Sarcopenia

Baltimore VA Medical Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sarcopenia

Treatments: Other: Strength training; Other: Aerobic exercise training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03984994

5R21AG064571 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

HP-00086001

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aging is associated with a loss of muscle mass, termed sarcopenia, that reduces mobility, decreases physical function and accelerates progression of other age-related disorders. This study is designed to determine whether increasing skeletal muscle capillarization through aerobic exercise will enhance muscular adaptations to strength training in older adults with sarcopenia.

Full description

Sarcopenia, or the aging-related loss of muscle mass, affects a large number of older adults. The presence of sarcopenia is associated with physical disability, poor quality of life, and all-cause mortality, in part because sarcopenic adults have low muscle skeletal muscle capillarization and may lack the adequate perfusion needed to maintain muscle mass and function. This study will test the effects of increasing skeletal muscle capillarization through aerobic exercise training on responses to resistance training in older adults. Eligible participants will be randomized to one of two groups, resistance training preceded by aerobic exercise training (AEX-RT), or resistance training followed by aerobic exercise training (RT-AEX). Participants in the AEX-RT group will undergo 3 months of aerobic exercise training to increase skeletal muscle capillarization, followed by 3 months of resistance training. Participants in the RT-AEX group will undergo 3 months of resistance training, followed by 3 months of aerobic exercise training. Before and after the interventions, participants will undergo assessments of muscle size, strength, and capillarization, as well as assessments of physical function.

Enrollment: 14 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65 to 88 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Body Mass Index = 18-32.5 kg/m2
• Non-smoker
• Presence of at least moderate sarcopenia (low muscle mass per unit body height)

Exclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of diabetes, cancer, pulmonary or renal disease
• Physical impairment preventing exercise
• Recent history of exercise training

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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14 participants in 2 patient groups

Aerobic exercise training followed by resistance training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this arm will undergo 3 months of aerobic exercise training, followed by 3 months of strength training

Treatment:

Other: Aerobic exercise training

Other: Strength training

Resistance training followed by aerobic exercise training

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants in this arm will undergo 3 months of strength training, followed by 3 months of aerobic exercise training

Treatment:

Other: Aerobic exercise training

Other: Strength training