Plant-Based Diets and Their Associations with Physical Performance in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Background: Plant-based diets are associated with various health benefits; however, their impact on physical performance in aging populations remains unclear.

Objectives: To investigate the associations between adherence to plant-based diets and physical performance, focusing on their potential protective effects against age-related declines in function.

Methods: Data were obtained from men and women aged 40 years or older in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) (mean ± SD age: 68 ± 13 years at the first dietary visit; n = 1389).

The Effects of Weight Loss and Aerobic Exercise on Cortisol and Cortisol Suppression in Postmenopausal Women with Overweight and Obesity.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to explore the complex relationship between obesity, dietary content, weight loss, and cortisol concentrations in postmenopausal women with overweight and obesity.

Methods: Women completed basal cortisol testing, a dexamethasone suppression test (DST), DXA scan, 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and food records before ( = 60) and a subset after 6-months of weight loss (WL;  = 15) or aerobic exercise training+weight loss (AEX+WL,  = 34).

Results: At baseline, plasma cortisol concentrations decreased significantly after DST in the entire group, a 54% suppression which was associated with basal glucose.

Weight Loss, Pathological Changes, and Inflammatory Effects from a Short-Term Ketogenic Diet in Overweight and Obese Men with Untreated Prostate Cancer on Active Surveillance.

Background And Aims: Active Surveillance (AS) is a favored strategy for the management of indolent prostate cancers (PCs). Overweight and obese men harbor an increased risk of cancer progression during AS. We aim to prospectively evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of a ketogenic diet (KD) weight-loss intervention in overweight men with PC.

The inverse association between cancer history and incident cognitive impairment: Addressing attrition bias.

Introduction: Cancer is inversely associated with cognitive impairment. Whether this is due to statistical handling of attrition (death and censoring) is unknown.

Methods: We quantified associations between cancer history and incident cognitive impairment among Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study participants without baseline cognitive impairment or stroke (n = 2604) using multiple competing-risks models and their corresponding estimands: cause-specific, subdistribution, and marginal hazards, plus composite-outcome (cognitive impairment or all-cause mortality) hazards.

Investigating the Effects and Mechanisms of Combined Vitamin D and K Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women: An Up-to-Date Comprehensive Review of Clinical Studies.

Aging is a complex process and a significant risk factor for chronic diseases. Menopause, a component of aging in women, is associated with several important cardiometabolic conditions including metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases. Menopausal women could benefit from preventative strategies that may decrease morbidity and mortality and improve their quality of life.

Sustained IL-6 and sTNF-αR1 levels after hip fracture predict 5-year mortality: A prospective cohort study from the Baltimore Hip Studies.

Background: Persistent inflammation is associated with adverse health outcomes, but its impact on mortality has not been investigated previously among hip fracture patients. This article aims to investigate the influence of changes in levels of cytokines in the 2 months after a hip fracture repair on 5-year mortality.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study from the Baltimore Hip Studies (BHS) with 191 community-dwelling older men and women (≥65 years) who had recently undergone surgical repair of an acute hip fracture, with recruitment from May 2006 to June 2011.

Association of chronotropic incompetence with reduced cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults with HIV.

Objective: Understanding the physiological drivers of reduced cardiorespiratory fitness in people with HIV (PWH) will inform strategies to optimize healthspan. Chronotropic incompetence is common in heart failure and associated with low cardiorespiratory fitness yet is understudied in PWH. The objective was to determine the prevalence of chronotropic incompetence and its relationship with cardiorespiratory fitness.

Effects of Multicomponent Home-Based Intervention on Muscle Composition, Fitness, and Bone Density After Hip Fracture.

Background: Mechanistic factors on the pathway to improving independent ambulatory ability among hip fracture patients by a multicomponent home-based physical therapy intervention that emphasized aerobic, strength, balance, and functional training are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 2 different home-based physical therapy programs on muscle area and attenuation (reflects muscle density) of the lower extremities, bone mineral density (BMD), and aerobic capacity.

Methods: Randomized controlled trial of home-based 16 weeks of strength, endurance, balance, and function exercises (PUSH, n = 19) compared to seated active range-of-motion exercises and transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation (PULSE, n = 18) in community-dwelling adults >60 years of age within 26 weeks of hip fracture.

Sex differences in insulin regulation of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase and changes during weight loss and exercise in adults.

Objective: The authors sought to understand sex differences in muscle metabolism in 73 older men and women.

Methods: Body composition, VOmax, and insulin sensitivity (M) by 3-hour hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp with vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were measured.

Results: Women had lower body weight, VOmax, and fat-free mass than men.

Exercise for patients with chronic kidney disease: from cells to systems to function.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is among the leading causes of death and disability, affecting an estimated 800 million adults globally. The underlying pathophysiology of CKD is complex creating challenges to its management. Primary risk factors for the development and progression of CKD include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, age, obesity, diet, inflammation, and physical inactivity.

Duloxetine plus exercise for knee osteoarthritis and depression: A feasibility study.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a 24-week, center-based, aerobic exercise program plus duloxetine to treat symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) and major depression.

Design: Patients with symptomatic knee OA and major depression were recruited between August 2021 and November 2022 from the University of Maryland and VA Maryland Health Care Systems and Baltimore metropolitan area using medical records and advertisements. The intervention included 1) supervised treadmill walking 3 times weekly and 2) duloxetine starting at 30 ​mg each day and titrating up to the optimal dosage of 60 ​mg daily.

Promotion of Successful Weight Management in Overweight and Obese Veterans (POWER-VET): Trial Design and Methods.

Background: Almost 75% of US adults are overweight or obese. Though intentional weight loss of as little as 3% improves physical functioning and reduces cardiometabolic risk, most adults are unsuccessful at long-term weight maintenance. Our hypothesis is that intermittent fasting (IF: short periods of intense energy restriction) will reduce weight regain.

Time-varying treatment effect modification of oral analgesic effectiveness by depressive symptoms in knee osteoarthritis: an application of structural nested mean models in a prospective cohort.

Background: Depressive symptoms are common in knee osteoarthritis (OA), exacerbate knee pain severity and may influence outcomes of oral analgesic treatments. The aim was to assess whether oral analgesic effectiveness in knee OA varies by fluctuations in depressive symptoms.

Methods: The sample included Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) participants not treated with oral analgesics at enrolment (n = 1477), with radiographic disease at the first follow-up visit (defined as the index date).

An exercise stress test for contrast-enhanced duplex ultrasound assessment of lower limb muscle perfusion in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to develop a standardized contrast-enhanced duplex ultrasound (CE-DUS) protocol to assess lower-extremity muscle perfusion before and after exercise and determine relationships of perfusion with clinical and functional measures.

Methods: CE-DUS (EPIQ 5G, Philips) was used before and immediately after a 10-minute, standardized bout of treadmill walking to compare microvascular perfusion of the gastrocnemius muscle in older (55-82 years) patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) (n = 15, mean ankle-brachial index, 0.78 ± 0.

Effects of Weight Loss and Aerobic Exercise Training on Adi-Pose Tissue Zinc α2-Glycoprotein and Associated Genes in Obesity.

Zinc α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) has been implicated in fatty acid metabolism and utilization and is lower in obese and higher in cachexic adults compared to those of normal weight. Previous studies suggest that ZAG binds to the beta3-adrenergic receptor (β3AR) to influence fatty acid metabolism in adipose tissue by regulating hormone sensitive lipase (HSL). The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a six-month weight loss (WL) or aerobic exercise (AEX) intervention on adipose tissue and skeletal muscle ZAG mRNA levels and protein expression, as well as the expression of β3AR, and HSL.

Shoulder pain, health-related quality of life and physical function in community-dwelling older adults.

The impact of shoulder pain on health-related quality of life and physical function among community-dwelling older adults (>60 years) not seeking medical care is not well understood. Forty-four community-dwelling older adult volunteers with low comorbidity were stratified into two groups by the presence ( = 18) or absence ( = 26) of shoulder pain. Participants completed the 36-Item Short Form and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon surveys and received shoulder range of motion and magnetic resonance imaging testing.

Sex differences in muscle SIRT1 and SIRT3 and exercise + weight loss effects on muscle sirtuins.

The sirtuins, SIRT1 and SIRT3, are involved in the control of cellular processes to maintain metabolic homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 6-month aerobic training + weight loss program and hyperinsulinemia on SIRT1 and SIRT3 expression in skeletal muscle and to compare their expression between men and women. Thirty-five adult men ( = 18) and postmenopausal women ( = 17), (X ± SEM, age: 61 ± 1 years, BMI: 31.

A comparison of associations of body mass index and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measured percentage fat and total fat with global serum metabolites in young women.

Objective: Body mass index (BMI) does not directly measure adiposity, whereas dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provides valid direct estimates of adiposity. Therefore, this study evaluated usefulness of BMI as a measure of adiposity in serum metabolomics studies.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 202 women aged 25 to 29 years in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children Follow-Up Study.

Home-Based Tele-Exercise in Musculoskeletal Conditions and Chronic Disease: A Literature Review.

Exercise training is an essential component in the treatment or rehabilitation of various diseases and conditions. However, barriers to exercise such as the burdens of travel or time may hinder individuals' ability to participate in such training programs. Advancements in technology have allowed for remote, home-based exercise training to be utilized as a supplement or replacement to conventional exercise training programs.

Dietary Quality and Perceived Barriers to Weight Loss among Older Overweight Veterans with Dysmobility.

Healthier diets are associated with higher muscle mass and physical performance which may reduce the risk of developing frailty and disability later in life. This study examined the dietary quality and self-reported weight loss barriers among older (>60 years), overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) Veterans with dysmobility (low gait speed, impaired mobility diagnosis, or a comorbidity that results in impaired mobility). Habitual dietary intake and healthy eating index (HEI-2015) were assessed using 24-h recalls and compared to US nationally representative dietary intake data and national recommendations.