Elderly Persons
Conditions
Brief summary
Ageing is the primary risk factor for most chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sarcopenia and muscular mitochondrial dysfunction with aging are crucial mechanisms leading to decreased exercise tolerance and worsened insulin sensitivity. Thus, metabolic disease and frailty, which limits physical mobility as well as quality of life, share common cellular mechanisms. The investigators will test the hypothesis that a combination of normobaric hypoxia and exercise training elicits a synergistic effect on age-associated metabolic skeletal muscle dysfunction and the investigators will address the molecular mechanisms. In a randomized clinical study, the investigators will compare normoxic and hypoxic training conditions in elderly subjects. Outcome measures will focus on whole body insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial responses in skeletal muscle before and after the 8-week training intervention.
Interventions
OTHERHypoxic exercise
Supervised, progressive aerobic exercise program for 8 weeks under hypoxic conditions
OTHERNormoxic Exercise
Supervised, progressive aerobic exercise program for 8 weeks under normoxic conditions
Sponsors
German Diabetes Center
Hannover Medical School
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
55 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 55 to 75 years of age * body mass index: 20 - 35 kg/m2 * weight stable during last 6 months before screening (weight change \< 2% body weight) * HOMA-index of insulin resistance ≥ 2 to 4 units
Exclusion criteria
* more than 1 hour of scheduled exercise training per week * known diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or measured HbA1c \> 6,5% * known drug or alcohol abuse * any contraindication to perform exercise training * acute or chronic infections * increased bleeding risk by history, INR \> 1,3, use of anticoagulants
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Insulin sensitivity | At baseline and after 8 weeks | Insulin sensitivity is assessed via the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic glucose clamp and expressed as the glucose infusion rate (GIR) in ml |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum oxygen uptake | At baseline and after 8 weeks | Maximum oxygen uptake is measured during an incremental exhaustive exercise test and is expressed in ml/min/kg |
| Mitochondrial number | At baseline and after 8 weeks | Mitochondrial number and selected gene expression assessed from muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis. |
| Fat and carbohydrate oxidation during exercise | At baseline and after 8 weeks | Fat and carbohydrate oxidation during exercise is assessed during an incremental exercise test by measurements of gas exchange and expressed as g/min |
| Body fat and body fat free mass | At baseline and after 8 weeks | Measured via by air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) and expressed in kg |
| Health related quality of life | At baseline and after 8 weeks | Assessed using the short form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed