Women aged 67-84 yr were randomly assigned to either resistance exercise (RE, n = 15) or control group (C, n = 14). RE group completed 10 wk of resistance training, whereas C group maintained normal activity. Blood samples were obtained from the RE group (at the same time points as for resting C) at rest, immediately after resistance exercise, and 2 h after exercise before (week 0) and after (week 10) training. Mononuclear cell (CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD19+, and CD3-CD16+CD56+) number, lymphocyte proliferative (LP) response to mitogen, natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity (NCMC), and serum cortisol levels were determined. Strength increased significantly in RE subjects (%change 8-repetition maximum = 148%). No significant group, exercise time, or training effects were found for CD3+, CD3+CD4+, or CD3+CD8+ cells, but there was a significant exercise time effect for CD3-CD16+CD56+ cells. LP response was not different between groups, across exercise time, or after training. NCMC was increased immediately after exercise for RE subjects at week 0 and for RE and C groups at week 10. The week 0 and week 10 NCMC values were above baseline for both RE and C groups 2 h after exercise. In conclusion, acute resistance exercise did not result in postexercise suppression of NCMC or LP, and 10 wk of resistance training did not influence resting immune measures in women aged 67-84 yr.

Background: Immune function decreases with age, rendering the elderly more susceptible to infection and tumor development. In addition, intense exercise has been shown to decrease immune function in some populations. Few studies have examined the effects of exercise on immune function in the elderly and, to our knowledge, no studies have examined the effects of exercise on a population of active, but nonexercising elderly. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 10-week endurance training program on selected parameters of immune function in active elderly women. Methods: A total of 29 healthy, active women, aged 70–87, were randomly assigned to either an exercise (76 ± 5 years, n = 15) or control (77 ± 6 years, n = 14) group. The exercise group walked 3 days/week at 70% heart rate reserve (HRR). The duration on day 1 was 20 min and it was increased by 5 min each day until subjects were walking for 50 min (week 3). It remained at 50 min for the duration of the study, while controls maintained normal activity. Blood samples were obtained from both groups at rest, and from the exercise group after 20 min of walking at 70% HRR and after 2 h of recovery. Blood samples were collected prior to endurance training and again after 10 weeks of endurance training. Results: There was a significant decrease in 1-mile walk times as well as heart rate at completion of the walk in the exercise group. Natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity (NCMC) was significantly higher post-exercise, compared to pre-exercise both before and after training. After training it remained significantly elevated 2 h post-exercise. The resting NCMC was significantly decreased in controls at week 10 but not in the exercise group. Conclusion: Ten weeks of endurance training resulted in a significant decrease in both the 1-mile walk time and the post-walk heart rate in the exercisers but not the controls, without resulting in either an acute or chronic suppression of immune function. Further, endurance training may lead to an attenuation of the decrease in cellular immune measures which occurs during the winter, since the control group experienced a decrease in NCMC and the exercisers did not.

Background:Middle-aged women have less postural control than younger women. The Star Excursion Balance Test is a functional and inexpensive postural control measurement tool that is sensitive to age-related changes in balance.Hypothesis:The middle-aged females will experience lower excursion scores compared with the younger women.Methodology:Fifty-three healthy, recreationally active women were divided into 2 groups: adult-aged (n = 29; age range, 23-39 years) and middle-aged (n = 24; age range, 40-54 years). Each participant performed 3 reaches for 3 trials (anteromedial, medial, posteromedial) in a randomized order. The 3 reach trials were converted to a normalized value (percentage of participant’s height) and assessed as an overall mean for the 1-way analysis of variance. Intraclass correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.Results:No differences were found for body mass index and height; however, age was different between groups (P < 0.01). Intraclass correlation coefficient2,3 values for the 3 directions ranged from 0.72 to 0.97. The adult-aged women were able to reach farther in all 3 directions when tested with the Star Excursion Balance Test (6.8-7.6 cm, P < 0.05).Conclusion:Lower postural control scores based on the Star Excursion Balance Test were found for the older women. The younger women were able to reach approximately 7 cm farther during the anterior, anteromedial, and posteromedial excursions.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on selected indices of resting immune function in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women aged 54–66 were divided into two groups, those taking HRT (n = 17) and controls (n = 19). Blood samples were obtained and analyzed for mononuclear cell numbers, lymphocyte proliferation (LP) and natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity (NCMC). There were no significant differences between groups for mononuclear cell numbers. LP was significantly higher for HRT, while NCMC was significantly lower for HRT. HRT is currently being prescribed to postmenopausal women for prevention of a variety of medical conditions including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease yet HRT is often associated with altered immune parameters. In this study, women taking HRT had increased lymphocyte blastogenesis and decreased NCMC compared to controls.