Chronic training increases blood oxidative damage but promotes health in elderly men.
The objective of the present study was to investigate a large panel of oxidative stress biomarkers in long-term trained elderly men to analyse the effects of chronic training on an aged population. We collected blood samples from two groups of male volunteers older than 65 years who maintain a measure of functional independence: one group of sedentary subjects without a history of regular physical activity and the other of subjects who have sustained training, starting during middle age (mean training time=49 ± 8 years). We studied morbidity and polypharmacy, as well as haematological parameters including red cell count, haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width and several oxidative biomarkers including protein carbonyl content and lipid peroxidation in plasma and erythrocytes, red blood cell H2O2-induced haemolysis test, plasma total antioxidant activity and the main antioxidant enzymes of erythrocytes: superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase. After adjusting for confounding factors, we observed an increase in all oxidative damage biomarkers in the plasma and erythrocytes of the long-term exercise group. However, we reported a decrease in the number of diseases per subject with statistical differences nearly significant (p=0.061), reduced intake of medications per subject and lower levels of red cell distribution width in the chronic exercise group. These results indicate that chronic exercise from middle age to old age increases oxidative damage; however, chronic exercise appears to be an effective strategy to attenuate the age-related decline in the elderly.
Department of Morphology and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oviedo, C/ Julián Clavería s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain. ddgonzalo@hotmail.com
David
D
de Gonzalo-Calvo
Benjamín
B
Fernández-García
Beatriz
B
de Luxán-Delgado
Susana
S
Rodríguez-González
Marina
M
García-Macia
Francisco Manuel
FM
Suárez
Juan José
JJ
Solano
María Josefa
MJ
Rodríguez-Colunga
Ana
A
Coto-Montes
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002374:Catalase / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000097:blood; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000097:blood; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D050050:Protein Carbonylation; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D013030:Spain; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood
D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase