NCT00804518

Effect of Exercise on Heart Function in Healthy Elderly People

Aerobic Interval Training Reduces and Compensates Age Related Decline in Cardiac Function

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 45 (actual)
• Sponsor: Norwegian University of Science and Technology · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of aerobic interval training on left- and right ventricular diastolic- and systolic function on healthy, sedate people over 70 years. The old sedate cohort will be compared to young, sedate subjects also performing aerobic interval training and old master athletes without intervention.

Detailed description

Aging is associated with a reduced diastolic and systolic function of the heart. Earlier studies have shown that physical exercise can improve both systolic and diastolic function. However the impact on age-related cardiac function is to some extent conflicting. The use of different training intensities will impact on the cardiac result. We have in earlier studies shown aerobic interval training at 90 % of maximal heart rate (4x4 minutes) to have more impact on cardiac function, endothelial function and maximal oxygen uptake compared to moderate intensity. To our knowledge the effect of aerobic interval training on cardiac function has not been studied in an old, sedate group before.

Conditions

• Diastolic Dysfunction

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Aerobic interval training	High intensity aerobic interval training consists of 10 minutes warm up at \~60% of maximal heart rate, 4x4 minutes intervals at 90-95 % of maximal heart rate corresponding to 85-90% of VO2max) walking/running uphill on a treadmill, with three minutes active pause between the exercise bouts at 60-70% maximal heart rate. The session is terminated with 3 minutes cool down. Total exercise time is 38 minutes.The training is supervised by an exercise physiologist and the subjects train 3 times per week for 12 weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-11-01
• Primary completion: 2009-03-01
• Completion: 2009-08-01
• First posted: 2008-12-09
• Last updated: 2016-07-18

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Norway