October 8, 2008 – Dieting without physical activity would not be recommended for overweight seniors, US study finds1.
According to the results, seniors with an overweight problem who combine exercise and weight loss would prevent muscle loss and shed fat better. Conversely, older people who follow a diet without exercising would lose more lean mass, that is to say muscles, and would not improve their physical shape.
Older people already tend to lose muscle mass as they age, and a further decrease could interfere with their daily activities by requiring more physical exertion, the study authors point out.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh recruited 64 obese or overweight people, aged 60 to 75. For four months, one-third of participants followed an exercise program of three to five 45-minute sessions per week of treadmill walking. The second third were on a reduced calorie diet with the goal of losing 10% weight. A third group combined exercise and diet. At the start and end of the study, a one-hour stationary bicycle test measured the energy expenditure and effort exerted by participants during physical activity.
The researchers found that after four months, all of the candidates had lost weight. Those who only followed the diet lost more muscle mass than the other participants and shed a lower proportion of fat during the test. Participants in the exercise group, whether dieter or not, performed better on the stationary bike test and shed their fat stores more quickly.
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Walk more slowly to avoid falls Walking is an easy physical activity for older people. On the other hand, it can lead to falls. And the injuries that follow are a major cause of death in the elderly. According to an American study, the risk of falls could be reduced by walking more slowly2. It’s about balance, not strength or flexibility, say the researchers. Even when walking at a speed that seems comfortable to them, older people may maintain their balance less well than younger adults. According to the results of the study, reducing walking speed would increase stability and therefore reduce the risk of injury from falls. This study was conducted among 18 active people, aged 65 to 85 years and 17 adults aged 18 to 28 years. Participants were asked to walk on a treadmill for five minutes at different speeds, while their core movements and stability were measured. |
Emmanuelle Bergeron – PasseportSanté.net
1. Amati F, Dubé JJ, et al. Separate and combined effects of exercise training and weight loss on exercise efficiency and substrate oxidation, J Appl Physiol, 2008 Sep; 105 (3): 825-31.
2. Kang HG, Dingwell JB, Effects of walking speed, strength and range of motion on gait stability in healthy older adults, J Biomech, 2008 Sep 12.
