The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of resistance training (RT) performed with 1 or 3 sets per exercise on osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) syndrome parameters in older women. Sixty-two older women (68.0 ± 4.3 years, 26.8 ± 4.4 kg/m) participated in a 12-week RT program. Participants were randomly assigned into one of the three groups: two training groups that performed either 1 set (G1S, n = 21) or 3 sets (G3S, n = 20) 3 times weekly, or a control group (CG, n = 21). Body composition was assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry, strength was evaluated by 1 repetition maximum testing. The G3S presented significantly higher strength changes than G1S. The changes for percentage of body fat were higher for G3S compared to G1S. There was no difference in skeletal muscle mass between G3S and G1S, however both training groups displayed greater increases in this outcome compared to CG. There was no effect for bone mineral density. The overall analysis indicated higher (P < 0.05) positive changes for G3S than G1S (composed Z-score: G3S = 0.62 ± 0.40; G1S = 0.11 ± 0.48). The results suggest that a 12-week RT period is effective to improve the risk factors of OSO, and that 3 sets induce higher improvements than a single set.

This study examined the effects of long-term creatine supplementation combined with resistance training (RT) on the one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength, motor functional performance (e.g., 30-s chair stand, arm curl, and getting up from lying on the floor tests) and body composition (e.g., fat-free mass, muscle mass, and % body fat using DEXA scans) in older women. Eighteen healthy women (64.9 ± 5.0 years) were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to either a creatine (CR, N = 9) or placebo (PL, N = 9) group. Both groups underwent a 12-week RT program (3 days week(-1)), consuming an equivalent amount of either creatine (5.0 g day(-1)) or placebo (maltodextrin). After 12 week, the CR group experienced a greater (P < 0.05) increase (Δ%) in training volume (+164.2), and 1RM bench press (+5.1), knee extension (+3.9) and biceps curl (+8.8) performance than the PL group. Furthermore, CR group gained significantly more fat-free mass (+3.2) and muscle mass (+2.8) and were more efficient in performing submaximal-strength functional tests than the PL group. No changes (P > 0.05) in body mass or % body fat were observed from pre- to post-test in either group. These results indicate that long-term creatine supplementation combined with RT improves the ability to perform submaximal-strength functional tasks and promotes a greater increase in maximal strength, fat-free mass and muscle mass in older women.

There is evidence that immune-inflammatory, stress of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (IO&NS) processes play a role in the neurodegenerative processes observed in Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of the present study was to investigate peripheral IO&NS biomarkers in PD. We included 56 healthy individuals and 56 PD patients divided in two groups: early PD stage and late PD stage. Plasma lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), sulfhydryl (SH) groups, catalase (CAT) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, paraoxonase (PON)1 activity, total radical trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. PD is characterized by increased LOOH, MDA and SOD activity and lowered CAT activity. A combination of five O&NS biomarkers highly significantly predicts PD with a sensitivity of 94.5% and a specificity of 86.8% (i.e., MDA, SOD activity, TRAP, SH-groups and CAT activity). The single best biomarker of PD is MDA, while LOOH and SOD activity are significantly associated with late PD stage, but not early PD stage. Antiparkinson drugs did not affect O&NS biomarkers, but levodopa+carbidopa significantly increased CRP. It is suggested that MDA may serve as a disease biomarker, while LOOH and SOD activity are associated with late PD stage characteristic. New treatments for PD should not only target dopamine but also lipid peroxidation.

Cunha PM, Nunes JP, Tomeleri CM, Nascimento MA, Schoenfeld BJ, Antunes M, Gobbo LA, Teixeira D, and Cyrino ES. Resistance training performed with single and multiple sets induces similar improvements in muscular strength, muscle mass, muscle quality, and IGF-1 in older women: A randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 34(4): 1008–1016, 2020—The purpose of this study was to compare the effects between single set vs. multiple sets of resistance training (RT) on measures of muscular strength, muscle mass, muscle quality (MQ), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in untrained healthy older women. Sixty-two older women were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 groups: single-set RT (SS, n = 21), multiple-sets RT (MS, n = 20), or nontraining control (CG, n = 21). Both training groups performed RT for 12 weeks, using 8 exercises of 10–15 repetitions maximum for each exercise. The SS group performed only 1 set per exercise, whereas MS performed 3 sets. Anthropometry, muscle strength (1RM tests), lean soft tissue (LST), and MQ from upper limbs (UL) and lower limbs (LL), and IGF-1 were measured before and after training. Both training groups showed significant pre-training to post-training increases for UL1RM (SS: 37.1%, MS: 27.3%, CG: −3.0%), LL1RM (SS: 16.3%, MS: 21.7%, CG: −0.7%), ULLST (SS: 7.8%, MS: 8.8%, CG: −1.1%), LLLST (SS: 5.6%, MS: 6.3%, CG: −0.8%), upper-limb muscle quality (SS: 25.2%, MS: 16.7%, CG: −0.2%), lower-limb muscle quality (SS: 10.5%, MS: 15.4%, CG: −3.5%), and IGF-1 (SS: +7.1%, MS: +10.1%, CG: −2.2%). We conclude that both SS and MS produce similar increases in muscular strength, LST, and MQ of upper and lower limbs, and IGF-1 after 12 weeks of RT in untrained older women. Our results suggest that, in the early stages, the RT regardless number of sets is effective for improving muscular outcomes in this population.