PMID 36786845

Research
All papers

Aerobically trained older adults show impaired resting, but preserved exercise-induced circulating progenitor cell count, which was not improved by sprint interval training

Yasar Z, Ross MD, Gaffney CJ, Postlethwaite RD, Wilson R, Hayes LD

Question

Do trained older adults have altered circulating progenitor cell responses, and can eight weeks of sprint interval training improve them?

Summary

Aerobically trained older adults had lower resting circulating progenitor cell counts than trained younger adults, but exercise still mobilized these cells. Eight weeks of twice-weekly static sprint interval training in the older group did not improve resting or exercise-induced progenitor cell counts.

Methodology

  • Aerobically trained young and older adults; older adults completed SIT.
  • 21 participants.
  • Static running.
  • Work intervals: 20-s all-out static sprint.
  • Recovery: 3-min self-paced recovery.
  • Intensity: All-out.
  • About 15 min including warm-up and cool-down.
  • 2 sessions/week.
  • 8 weeks.
  • Comparative physiology study with an older-adult SIT intervention
  • Resting CPC, Exercise CPC, SIT effect, and Safety were tracked.

Outcomes

Resting CPC

Older trained adults had lower resting CPC counts than young adults.

CD34+ 828 +/- 314 vs 1186 +/- 272 cells/mL, p=0.015.

Safety concern

Exercise CPC

GXT increased CPC counts in both age groups.

Older CD34+ 828 to 1582, p<0.001; young 1186 to 2134, p=0.004.

Improved

SIT effect

Eight weeks of SIT did not improve older adults' basal or exercise-induced CPC response.

Basal CD34+ 828 to 765, p=0.602; interaction p=0.233.

No clear change

Adverse events

No adverse events were reported, but detailed monitoring was not described.

Unclear

Insights

  • Low-volume all-out static sprinting did not improve CPC biomarkers in trained older adults.
  • All-out older-adult sprint protocols require screening context.

Limitations

  • Small older-adult sample.
  • No sedentary comparison group.
  • CPC was a secondary outcome and not powered a priori.
  • No CPC functional/paracrine testing.
  • Sex distribution and muscle mass may influence responses.

Safety

  • No adverse events were reported in the full text.
  • Older adults were already trained and screened with PAR-Q/ACSM procedures; SIT sessions were separated by at least 72 h.