title: Smaller differences in total and regional adiposity with age in women who regularly perform endurance exercise.
abstract: Our aim was to determine if women who regularly perform endurance exercise demonstrate age-related elevations in body mass and adiposity. Ninety-five healthy females were studied: premenopausal (n = 28; mean +/- SE age 30 +/- 1 yr) and postmenopausal (n = 31; 56 +/- 1 yr) endurance-trained runners and premenopausal (n = 17; 29 +/- 1 yr) and postmenopausal (n = 19; 61 +/- 1 yr) sedentary controls. In the runners, body mass did not differ across age, but percent fat and fat mass were higher (P < 0.05) in the postmenopausal women. The age-related difference in total body fat, however, was only approximately 50% as great (P < 0.01) as that observed in the sedentary controls due in part to smaller age-related differences in central (truncal) fat. The higher fat mass in the postmenopausal runners was modestly (inversely) related to both exercise volume (r = -0.44, P < 0.01) and maximal oxygen consumption (r = -0.41, P < 0.01). The present findings provide experimental support for the hypothesis that women who regularly engage in vigorous endurance exercise may not gain body weight, undergo only a modest increase in total body fat, and do not demonstrate a significant elevation in central adiposity with age.
authors.affiliation: Human Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Center for Physical Activity, Disease Prevention and Aging, Department of Kinesiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Van Pelt
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Davy
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Desouza
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Seals
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002149:Energy Intake; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause