Impact of aerobic exercise versus resisted exercise on endothelial activation markers and inflammatory cytokines among elderly

BACKGROUND: Aging is the major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases as aging increases plasma levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and endothelial dysfunction. Physical exercise is a potential strategy for improving the endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation that accompanies aging. However, there is a need to differentiate between aerobic and resistance exercise training regarding endothelial activation markers and systemic inflammation among elderly population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the impact of six months of aerobic versus resisted exercise training on inflammatory cytokines and endothelial activation markers among elderly. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty previously sedentary elderly subjects participated in this study, their age ranged from 61–66 years. All subjects were randomly assigned to supervised aerobic exercise intervention group (group A, n=40) or resistance exercise group (group B, n=40). RESULTS: The mean value of interleukin-10 (IL-10) was significantly increased, where the mean value of inter-cellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1), E-selectin, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were significantly decreased in group (A) and group (B). In addition, there were significant differences in the mean levels of the investigated parameters between group (A) and group (B) at the end of the study. CONCLUSION: The current study provides evidence that aerobic exercise is more appropriate in modulate entering altered endothelial activation and inflammatory markers than resisted exercise among elderly population.