2014 year in review – ageing


Year in review: ageingHere’s why you should exercise, walk fast and plan for your retirement!

Here we highlight some messages from 2014 from the Motor Impairment team.  They focus on AGEING.  In the coming days we will post additional highlights from 2014 dealing with other aspects of Motor Impairment and motor performance.

Ageing and high-intensity exercise

It is important but how to assess its applicability in the elderly.  Here is a great study using only10 lots of 6-sec bursts biweekly in the elderly.  Blood pressure was down 9%!   It was only a  ‘pilot’ study but hopefully an influential one!

Ageing and osteoporosis

How Wnt4 protein signalling is highly protective. This work in Nature Medicine may expose a new therapeutic target. Further evidence on this pathway and its role in muscle ageing and sarcopenia.

Ageing…

A study found that physical activity is associated with healthier brain microstructure assessed with diffusion tensor imaging in the elderly.  More work is needed here including longitudinal studies.

The elderly respond well to 8 weeks of inspiratory muscle training.  Beneficial effects for the diaphragm noted.  The next step is to determine clinical implications and how to maintain the benefits.

New work on impaired visual and postural responses in the elderly and the key role of ankle proprioception.

Exercise, muscle and the delivery of oxygen: how are they matched and what happens in ageing and disease? An excellent review.

Study reveals poor physical capacity in your 50s portends an increased risk of death.  Not surprisingly this is a strong association.

Getting old?  Planning for your retirement might actually make you live longer!

Slowing down?  If your fastest walking speed is rapidly going down, your risk of death is rising.  Data derived from a large French epidemiological study.

Exercise when young preserves bone strength and size in men.  Use it and you won’t lose all of it, at least this applies to bone strength!  So, encourage physical activity during youth for lifelong bone health.  Important study in PNAS.

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