Exercise Impact on Muscle Health in Aging
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial examines how exercise impacts muscle health as people age. Researchers aim to understand protein changes that might cause muscles to weaken or shrink over time. Participants will perform a fatiguing leg exercise until tired, after which a small muscle sample will be taken from their thigh for analysis. This study suits healthy adults fluent in English, aged 18-35 or 65-80, who are willing to exercise and undergo a muscle biopsy. As an unphased trial, it offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the scientific understanding of muscle health and aging.
Do I need to stop my current medications for the trial?
The trial information does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you have untreated or poorly-controlled health conditions like hypertension or endocrine diseases, you may not be eligible to participate.
What prior data suggests that this exercise protocol is safe?
Research shows that exercise is generally safe for improving muscle health in older adults. Studies have found that activities like resistance training help keep muscles strong and maintain their size. This type of exercise is recommended for older adults because they can usually handle it easily.
Although less information exists on exercise-related tiredness in older adults, regular physical activity can help manage muscle fatigue. This trial involves performing knee exercises until the muscles feel tired, followed by taking a small sample of muscle tissue (a muscle biopsy). Research has shown that this kind of exercise is safe for maintaining muscle health, even in older adults.12345Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about the fatiguing exercise treatment because it explores a novel approach to enhancing muscle health in aging individuals. Unlike conventional methods, which often focus on medication or dietary supplements, this treatment involves performing one-legged knee extension exercises to the point of fatigue. This unique approach aims to directly stimulate muscle adaptation and regeneration, potentially offering a more natural and effective way to improve muscle function. By obtaining muscle biopsies, researchers hope to gain insights into how exercise-induced fatigue can influence muscle health at a cellular level, paving the way for tailored exercise regimens as a therapeutic strategy for age-related muscle decline.
What evidence suggests that fatiguing exercise is effective for improving muscle health in aging?
Research has shown that exercise effectively boosts muscle strength, size, and function, especially in older adults. For instance, studies found that lower-body resistance training can increase knee strength by about 32% in just six weeks. Regular strength training also correlates with increased daily activity. Exercise enhances physical performance and overall muscle health. This trial will specifically investigate the effects of fatiguing exercises, such as the knee extension exercise, on muscle health. These findings suggest that challenging exercises can help combat age-related muscle weakening.678910
Who Is on the Research Team?
Damien M Callahan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
University of Oregon
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for healthy adults who feel they are aging well, aged 18-35 or 65-80, willing to undergo muscle biopsies and exercise tests. They must speak English fluently. It's not suitable for those with severe joint issues, mental health risks like dementia, untreated endocrine diseases, allergies to lidocaine, serious uncontrolled hypertension, blood clotting disorders, major organ disease, diabetes, recent steroid use or cancer treatments (except certain skin cancers), significant weight loss recently, smoking within a year or current substance abuse.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Intervention
Volunteers perform one-legged knee extension exercise until fatigue and undergo bilateral skeletal muscle biopsies
Analysis
Muscle tissue is analyzed for phosphorylation of myosin binding protein c (MyBP-C) using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry
Follow-up
Ex vivo assessments of muscle fiber Force, Tension, Velocity, and Power are performed on biopsied muscle fibers
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Fatiguing Exercise
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of Oregon
Lead Sponsor
Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance
Collaborator
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Collaborator
Oregon Health and Science University
Collaborator
Washington State University
Collaborator
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Collaborator