Conclusions The current literature suggests the effectiveness of low-intensity exercise on improved physical and cognitive health for older adults .
It may be a desired intensity level in promoting health among older adults with better compliance , lower risk of injuries , and long-term sustainability
Background It is well known that physical exercise is important to promote physical and cognitive health in older population .
However , inconsistent research findings were shown regarding exercise intensity , particularly on whether low-intensity exercise ( 1.5 metabolic equivalent tasks ( METs ) to 3.0 METs ) can improve physical and cognitive health of older adults .
This systematic review aim ed to fill this research gap .
The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of low-intensity exercise interventions on physical and cognitive health of older adults .
Low-intensity exercise exerts beneficial effects on plasma lipids via PPARgamma.
INTRODUCTION An important mechanism by which physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease is through regulating plasma lipids . We investigated whether low-intensity exercise modulates lipid metabolism and the transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ( PPARgamma ) and liver X receptor alpha ( LXRalpha ) responsible for controlling reverse cholesterol transport ( RCT ) . METHODS Thirty-four sedentary adults , mean age 45.6 + /- 11.1 yr , participated in an 8-wk low-intensity exercise program consisting of walking 10,000 steps , three times a week . Subjects were r and omly allocated to either an exercise group or a sedentary control group , and serum lipid or lipoprotein concentrations were determined . RESULTS Compared with controls , there was a significant decrease in total cholesterol ( preexercise , 5.73 + /- 1.39 mmol x L ; postexercise , 5.32 + /- 1.28 mmol x L ) and a significant increase in HDL ( preexercise , 1.46 + /- 0.47 mmol x L ; postexercise , 1.56 + /- 0.50 mmol x L ) after the exercise program . There was a significant increase in serum oxidized LDL ( oxLDL ) concentrations in the exercise group before and after exercise ( 0 wk , 554 + /- 107 ng x mL ; 4 wk , 698 + /- 134 ng x mL ; 8 wk , 588 + /- 145 ng x mL ) . A significant increase in leukocyte mRNA expression for PPARgamma ( 4 wk , 1.8 + /- 0.9-fold ; 8 wk , 4.3 + /- 1.9-fold ) was observed , which was reinforced by increased PPARgamma DNA-binding activity postexercise ( preexercise , 0.22 + /- 0.09 OD units ; postexercise , 1.13 + /- 0.29 OD units ) . A significant increase in gene expression was observed for the oxLDL scavenger receptor CD36 ( 4 wk , 3.8 + /- 0.6-fold ; 8 wk , 2.7 + /- 0.5-fold ) and LXRalpha ( 8 wk , 3.5 + /- 0.8-fold ) . Two LXRalpha-regulated genes involved in RCT , namely , ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 and GI ( ABCA1 and ABCG1 , respectively ) , were significantly up-regulated postexercise ( 8 wk : ABCA1 , 3.46 + /- 0.56-fold ; ABCG1 , 3.06 + /- 0.47-fold ) . CONCLUSION We propose that the net effect of these changes may be to increase oxLDL uptake , to stimulate RCT , and thus to promote clearance of proatherogenic lipids from the vasculature , ultimately contributing to the cardiovascular benefits of low-intensity aerobic exercise
Conclusions The current literature suggests the effectiveness of low-intensity exercise on improved physical and cognitive health for older adults .
It may be a desired intensity level in promoting health among older adults with better compliance , lower risk of injuries , and long-term sustainability
Background It is well known that physical exercise is important to promote physical and cognitive health in older population .
However , inconsistent research findings were shown regarding exercise intensity , particularly on whether low-intensity exercise ( 1.5 metabolic equivalent tasks ( METs ) to 3.0 METs ) can improve physical and cognitive health of older adults .
This systematic review aim ed to fill this research gap .
The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of low-intensity exercise interventions on physical and cognitive health of older adults .