Resistance Exercise Intervention Restores Functional Capacity and Improves Frailty Biomarkers in Centenarians
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Centenarians comprise an age group characterized by exceptional longevity and low age-associated pathologies. However, they still experience physiological decline, and different studies have linked frailty to this population. Exercise interventions reverse frailty and improve functional capacity, but no studies have addressed the effect of an intervention in centenarians. In this study, we assessed the impact of a 12-week resistance exercise intervention in a group of centenarians and characterized their functional capacity as well as the expression of several molecular biomarkers associated with frailty. METHODS: A total of 19 centenarians were enrolled, but 7 of them did not complete the study. The remaining 12 centenarians were randomly assigned to the control or intervention group, which was a 12-week resistance exercise intervention. Molecular biomarkers were measured by qRT-PCR and ELISA. RESULTS: The intervention group improved their functional capacity measured by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) (post 5.0 vs 2.3 in pre) and Physical Performance and Mobility Examination (PPME) (6.5 vs 3.8), as well as in frailty status studied by Fried Frailty Phenotype (3.0 vs 3.8) and Frailty Trait Scale 5 (FTS5) (post 30.7 vs 34.0 in pre) scales. ANCOVA revealed that the resistance training led to significant improvements in functional capacity scales SPPB (p = 0.01) and PPME (p < 0.001), as well as Fried Frailty Phenotype (p = 0.001) and FTS5 (p = 0.05). Biomarkers related to frailty (EGR1, miR194-5p, miR125b-5p and miR454-3p) and inflammation (IL-6 and IL-1β) showed different expression patterns in centenarians (n = 19) compared to both old (n = 44, average of 79 years old) and young adults (n = 34, average of 29 years old) groups. Notably, the intervention was associated with improvements in frailty and inflammation biomarkers expression. Finally, correlation analyses showed significant associations between all functional and frailty variables, with SPPB correlating with miR454-3p (ρ = 0.73) and FTS5 correlating with miR454-3p (ρ = -0.83), IL-6 (ρ = 0.60) and miR125b-5p (ρ = -0.55). CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that resistance exercise intervention enhances functional status and reduces frailty in centenarians, and this is associated with improvements in frailty and inflammation biomarkers.
DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.70079
Institutions: Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Biomedical Research Networking Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ikerbasque
Language: English
Topic: Frailty in Older Adults
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,400
Funders: Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Florida Polytechnic University, Fundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer, Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Gobierno de Aragón, Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital, Gobierno de España, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Awards: G1121480023, G115923619, G1374256101, G180679211, BSICoS - Biomedical Signal Interpretation and Computational Simulation, G2538236775, G3068369010, G3307259962, G3317790559, G3372976588, G3565437028, G3576121327, G4073871074, Identificación de la función y la relevancia clínica de SOX2 en envejecimiento y enfermedades asociadas al envejecimiento, G4874764310, G5475785260, DETERMINACIÓN DE LA FUNCIÖN Y RELEVANCIA CLNICA DEL REGULADOR DE CELULAS MADRE SOX9 EN ENVEJECIMIENTO Y ENFERMEDADES ASOCIADAS, G7201015403, G7420115383, VALIDACIÓN PATRÓN MOLECULAR PARA EL DIAGNÓSTICO Y ESTRATIFICACIÓN DE LA FRAGILIDAD, G8610554206, G8776100923, G8920660035, G8992717274, G92039163
OpenAlex ID: W4414750476