This systematic review reports the most recent literature regarding the effects of physical exercise on muscle strength, body composition, physical functioning and inflammation in older adults. All articles were assessed for methodological quality and where possible effect size was calculated. Thirty-four articles were included - four involving frail, 24 healthy and five older adults with a specific disease. One reported on both frail and nonfrail patients. Several types of exercise were used: resistance training, aerobic training, combined resistance training and aerobic training and others. In frail older persons, moderate-to-large beneficial exercise effects were noted on inflammation, muscle strength and physical functioning. In healthy older persons, effects of resistance training (most frequently investigated) on inflammation or muscle strength can be influenced by the exercise modalities (intensity and rest interval between sets). Muscle strength seemed the most frequently used outcome measure, with moderate-to-large effects obtained regardless the exercise intervention studied. Similar effects were found in patients with specific diseases. Exercise has moderate-to-large effects on muscle strength, body composition, physical functioning and inflammation in older adults. Future studies should focus on the influence of specific exercise modalities and target the frail population more.

Background A chronic low-grade inflammatory profile (CLIP) is associated with sarcopenia in older adults. Protein and Vitamin (Vit)D have immune-modulatory potential, but evidence for effects of nutritional supplementation on CLIP is limited. Aim To investigate whether 13 weeks of nutritional supplementation of VitD and leucine-enriched whey protein affected CLIP in subjects enrolled in the PROVIDE-study, as a secondary analysis. Methods Sarcopenic adults (low skeletal muscle mass) aged ≥ 65 years with mobility limitations (Short Physical Performance Battery 4–9) and a body mass index of 20–30 kg/m² were randomly allocated to two daily servings of active (n = 137, including 20 g of whey protein, 3 g of leucine and 800 IU VitD) or isocaloric control product (n = 151) for a double-blind period of 13 weeks. At baseline and after 13 weeks, circulating interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1 receptor antagonist (RA), soluble tumor-necrosis-factor receptor (sTNFR)1, IL-6, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, pre-albumin and 25-hydroxyvitamin(OH)D were measured. Data-analysis included repeated measures analysis of covariance (corrected for dietary VitD intake) and linear regression. Results IL-6 and IL-1Ra serum levels showed overall increases after 13 weeks (p = 0.006 and p < 0.001, respectively). For IL-6 a significant time × treatment interaction (p = 0.046) was observed, with no significant change over time in the active group (p = 0.155) compared to control (significant increase p = 0.012). IL-8 showed an overall significant decrease (p = 0.03). The change in pre-albumin was a significant predictor for changes in IL-6 after 13 weeks. Conclusions We conclude that 13 weeks of nutritional supplementation with VitD and leucine-enriched whey protein may attenuate the progression of CLIP in older sarcopenic persons with mobility limitations.

Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in immune function known as immunosenescence. Although the causes of immunosenescence are likely to be multifactorial, an age-associated accumulation of senescent T cells and decreased naive T-cell repertoire are key contributors to the phenomenon. On the other hand, there is a growing consensus that physical exercise may improve immune response in aging. However, the optimum training modality required to obtain beneficial adaptations in older subjects is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of exercise modality on T-cell phenotypes in older women. A total of 100 women (aged ≥ 65 years) were randomized to either intensive strength training (80% of one-repetition maximum ), strength endurance training (40% one-repetition maximum), or control (stretching exercise) for 2–3 times per week during 6 weeks. The T-cell percentages and absolute counts were determined using flow cytometry and a hematology analyzer. C-reactive protein was measured using immunonephelometry. We report for the first time that 6 weeks of strength endurance training significantly decreased the basal percentage and absolute counts of senescence-prone T cells, which was positively related to the number of training sessions performed. Conceivably, training protocols with many repetitions—at a sufficiently high external resistance—might assist the reduction of senescence-prone T cells in older women.

Ageing is associated with a decline in immune function termed immunosenescence. This process is characterized amongst others by less naive T-cells and more senescent phenotypes, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. Thus far, reports regarding the long-term adaptation effects of exercise on T-cell phenotypes are scant and largely equivocal. These inconsistencies may be due to potential contributors to immunosenescence, particularly cytomegalovirus infection, which is considered a hallmark of T-cell senescence. Therefore, we sought to investigate the impact of cytomegalovirus serostatus on the distribution of peripheral T-cell subsets following long-term exercise in older women. One hundred women (aged 65 years and above) were randomized to 3 times/weekly training at either intensive strength training (3 × 10 repetitions at 80% of one-repetition maximum, n = 31), strength endurance training (2 × 30 repetitions at 40% of one-repetition maximum, n = 33), or control (passive stretching exercise, n = 36) for 6 weeks. All training sessions were supervised by trained instructors to minimize the risk of injury and to ensure that the participants adhered to the training protocol throughout the entire range of motion. The T-cell percentages and absolute blood counts were determined before and after 6 weeks (24 h–48 h after the last training session) using flow cytometry and a haematology analyser. Cytomegalovirus antibodies were measured in serum using Architect iSystem and cytomegalovirus serostatus was balanced in the three intervention groups. C-reactive protein was measured using immunonephelometry. We report for the first time that 6 weeks of strength endurance training significantly decreased senescence-prone T-cells along with a small increase in the number of CD8– naive T-cells in blood. The absolute counts of senescent-like T-cells decreased by 44% (from 26.03 ± 35.27 to 14.66 ± 21.36 cells/μL, p < 0.01) and by 51% (from 6.55 ± 12.37 to 3.18 ± 6.83 cells/μL, p < 0.05) for the CD8+ and CD8– T-cell pools, respectively. Intriguingly, these changes were observed in cytomegalovirus seropositive, but not cytomegalovirus seronegative individuals. In conclusion, the present study shows that strength endurance training leads to a reduction in circulating senescence-prone T-cells in cytomegalovirus seropositive older women. It remains to be established if monitoring of peripheral senescence-prone T-cells may have utility as cellular biomarkers of immunosenescence.

Smoking is a common phenomenon and kills over 6 million people every year. Many smokers try to quit smoking by using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Most of the time, relapse occurs in less than six months after finishing the program of NRT. We performed a single blinded study in which our aim was to figure out what the effect of the nicotine patch is on craving in the brain of smokers deprived from smoking. Five heavy smokers (Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence ≥4) underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 4 random conditions: smoking (S); smoking deprivation (SD); SD combined with a NP (SD + NP); SD combined with a placebo patch (SD + PP). Visual stimulation provoked craving in block design by randomly displaying images of smoking related scenes. After image preprocessing, a fixed-effect analysis was performed to compare average group activations. The Questionnaire for Smoking Urges (QSU) was obtained before and after each scan. The fMRI results showed higher activation in areas involved in craving in S compared with SD + NP, SD + PP, and SD. In the SD + NP, limbic circuit and attention area were higher activated compared with SD and SD + PP. The SD + PP and SD showed higher activation in the frontal cortex and limbic system compared with S and SD + NP. Nonsmokers showed higher limbic activation compared with SD. The QSU increased significantly after the fMRI experiment in S (P = .036). The SD had higher QSU scores compared with the S before (P = .002), and also after (P = .022) the fMRI experiment. The NP showed lower scores than the SD before the experiment (P = .046). The fMRI experiment revealed lower activity in areas associated with attention when subjects were nicotine deprived (SD + PP and SD). Areas involved with craving showed less activity when nicotine is present (S and SD + NP). The QSU showed a significant difference between SD and when nicotine is present (S and SD + NP).

Here, we investigate changes in inflammation-related gene-expression in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) by strength training. A total of 14 women aged ≥65 years were randomized into 3 months of either 3×/week intensive strength training (IST: 3×10 rep at 80% 1RM), strength endurance training (SET: 2×30 reps at 40% 1RM) or control (CON: 3×30 sec stretching). Differentially expressed genes (fold change ≤0.67 or ≥1.5) were identified by targeted RNA-sequencing of 407 inflammation-related genes. A total of 98 genes (n = 61 pro-inflammatory) were significantly affected. IST and SET altered 14 genes in a similar direction and 19 genes in the opposite direction. Compared to CON, IST changed the expression of 6 genes in the same direction, and 17 genes in the SET. Likewise, 18 and 13 genes were oppositely expressed for, respectively, IST and SET compared to CON. Changes in gene expression affected 33 canonical pathways related to chronic inflammation. None of the altered pathways overlapped between IST and SET. Liver X Receptor/Retinoid X Receptor Activation (LXR/RXR) and Triggering Receptor Expressed On Myeloid Cells 1 (TREM1) pathways were enriched oppositely in both training groups. We conclude that three months IST and SET can induce changes in CLIP-related gene expression in PBMC, but by affecting different genes and related pathways.