title: Effect of exercise training on left ventricular performance in older women free of cardiopulmonary disease.
abstract: Endurance exercise training increases aerobic exercise capacity (maximal oxygen consumption rate [VO2max]) and attenuates the age-related decline in left ventricular (LV) function during exercise in older men. To determine whether similar adaptations occur in older women, 10 subjects (aged 63 +/- 4 years mean +/- SE) were studied before and after 9 to 12 months of endurance exercise training. They exercised 3.85 +/- 0.06 days/week at 81 +/- 0.3% of maximal heart rate. LV function at rest and during supine exercise was assessed by radionuclide ventriculography. VO2max was increased by 21% (from 1.40 +/- 0.1 to 1.7 +/- 0.1 liter/min; p < 0.001) in response to training. Maximal heart rate and systolic blood pressure during treadmill exercise were unchanged (161 +/- 5 beats/min before vs 164 +/- 3 beats/min after; p = NS, and 208 +/- 7 mm Hg before vs 214 +/- 8 mm Hg after; p = NS, respectively) after training. LV ejection fraction at rest (70.4 +/- 2% before vs 70 +/- 1% after) and during peak exercise (78.6 +/- 2% before vs 79.3 +/- 2% after) did not change in response to training. Furthermore, the increases in ejection fraction from rest to exercise were similar before and after training (change: 8.8 +/- 1 vs 9.1 +/- 1%). Stroke volume and cardiac output at peak exercise also did not change in response to training.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Spina
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Kohrt
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ehsani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001823:Body Composition; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D015431:Weight Loss