title: Effects of elastic band resistance training and nutritional supplementation on muscle quality and circulating muscle growth and degradation factors of institutionalized elderly women: the Vienna Active Ageing Study (VAAS).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Regular resistance exercise training and a balanced diet may counteract the age-related muscular decline on a molecular level. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of elastic band resistance training and nutritional supplementation on circulating muscle growth and degradation factors, physical performance and muscle quality (MQ) of institutionalized elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Within the Vienna Active Ageing Study, 91 women aged 83.6 (65.0-92.2) years were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention groups (RT, resistance training; RTS, resistance training plus nutritional supplementation; CT, cognitive training). Circulating levels of myostatin, activin A, follistatin, IGF-1 and GDF-15, as well as MQ and functional parameters were tested at baseline as well as after 3 and 6 months of intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MQ of lower extremities significantly increased in the RT group (+14 %) and RTS group (+12 %) after 6 months. Performance improved in the RT and RTS groups for chair stand test (RT: +18 %; RTS: +15 %). Follistatin increased only in the RT group (+18 %) in the latter phase of the intervention, accompanied by a decrease in the activin A-to-follistatin ratio (-7 %). IGF-1, myostatin and GDF-15 levels were not affected by the intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm that strength training improves physical performance and MQ even in very old institutionalized women. This amelioration appears to be mediated by blocking muscle degradation pathways via follistatin rather than inducing muscle growth through the IGF-1 pathway. As plasma levels of biomarkers reflect an overall status of various organ systems, future studies of tissue levels are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Research Platform Active Ageing, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.affiliation: Research Platform Active Ageing, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schober-Halper
authors.affiliation: Research Platform Active Ageing, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oesen
authors.affiliation: Research Platform Active Ageing, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Franzke
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sport Science and University Sports, University of Vienna, Auf der Schmelz 6, 1150, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tschan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sport Science and University Sports, University of Vienna, Auf der Schmelz 6, 1150, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bachl
authors.affiliation: Karl Landsteiner Institute for Remobilization and Functional Health and Institute for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Social Medical Center South, Kundratstrasse 3, 1100, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Eva-Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Strasser
authors.affiliation: Karl Landsteiner Institute for Remobilization and Functional Health and Institute for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Social Medical Center South, Kundratstrasse 3, 1100, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quittan
authors.affiliation: Research Platform Active Ageing, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.|Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Nutritional Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Research Platform Active Ageing, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria. barbara.wessner@univie.ac.at.|Centre for Sport Science and University Sports, University of Vienna, Auf der Schmelz 6, 1150, Vienna, Austria. barbara.wessner@univie.ac.at.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9061-7914
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wessner
mesh_terms: D028341:Activins / Q000097:blood; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D038681:Follistatin / Q000097:blood; D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D055435:Myostatin / Q000097:blood; D055070:Resistance Training / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D038681:Follistatin; D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15; D055435:Myostatin; C422405:activin A; D028341:Activins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
keywords: Ageing; Blood-based biomarkers; Circulating myokines; Essential amino acids; Sarcopenia; Strength training