Health Care Utilization, Healthy Aging
Conditions
Keywords
Red light therapy, Forearm muscle endurance, Beet-root juice, Electromyography
Brief summary
The goal of this randomized counterbalanced repeated measures study is to test beet-root juice supplementation and red light therapy augment forearm muscle endurance in apparently healthy older adults over 65 years of age. The main questions seek to answer the following question: Does beet-root juice supplementation improve forearm muscle endurance compared to a placebo supplement? Does red light therapy improve forearm muscle endurance compared to a sham light exposure? Does beet-root juice supplementation in combination with red light therapy improve forearm muscle endurance compared to a placebo-sham light control?
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTBeet-root juice
Two days prior to the forearm endurance protocol, participants will be provided and instructed to consume a 400mg nitrate once per day. On the day of the forearm endurance protocol, the participants will be provided and instructed to consume a third 400mg dose of nitrates at least 150 minutes before forearm endurance testing.
RADIATIONred-light therapy
Participants will place their dominant forearm 15 centimeters away from the light source and have their dominant forearm exposed to 660nm wave length light for 10-minutes.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlacebo
Two days prior to the forearm endurance protocol, participants will be provided and instructed to consume a nitrate depleted placebo once per day. On the day of the forearm endurance protocol, the participants will be provided and instructed to consume a third dose of the nitrate depleted placebo at least 150 minutes before forearm endurance testing.
RADIATIONsham light
Participants will place their dominant forearm 15 centimeters away from the light source and have their dominant forearm exposed to sham light for 10-minutes.
Sponsors
Wake Forest University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Self-reports performing at least 30 minutes of light to moderate intensity physical activity 3 times per week for the last three months
Exclusion criteria
* Currently smoke * Have smoked within the last 6 months * Are taking taking supplements known to increase blood nitrate levels * Have a known kidney disease * Have a known liver disease * Have a known thyroid condition * Have a known gastritis condition * Are taking medications that are known to cause complications with nitrate supplementation * Have known or reported joint pain within the dominant hand
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Total forearm work performed | During the forearm exercise fatigue protocol lasting up to 45 minutes | Work is the product of the number of times the forearm is activated multiplied by the amount of force produced by the forearm in kilograms. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Intermuscular coordination | During the forearm exercise fatigue protocol lasting up to 45 minutes | Surface electromyography measurements of muscle activity |
| Forearm endurance | During the forearm exercise fatigue protocol lasting up to 45 minutes | The duration of time the participant takes to complete the forearm fatigue protocol |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactAndrew D Wells, Ph.D.
Outcome results
None listed