Biological age versus physical fitness age

A population of healthy middle-aged (n = 69) and elderly men (n = 12), who participated in a health promotion program, was studied to determine whether really physically fit individuals are in good biological condition, and also whether improvement of physical fitness in the middle-aged and the elderly reduces their "rate of aging". Biological and physical fitness ages of the individuals studied were estimated from the data for 18 physiological function tests and 5 physical fitness tests, respectively, by a principal component model. The correlation coefficient between the estimated biological and physical fitness ages was 0.72 (p less than 0.01). Detailed analyses of the relationship between the estimated biological and physical fitness ages revealed that those who manifested a higher ("older") physical fitness age did not necessarily have a higher biological age, but those who manifested a lower ("younger") physical fitness age were also found to have a lower biological age. These results suggested that there were considerable individual variations in the relationship between biological condition and physical fitness among individuals with an old physical fitness age, but those who were in a state of high physical fitness maintained a relatively good biological condition. The data regarding the elderly men who had maintained a regular exercise program indicated that their estimated biological ages were considerably younger than the expected values. This might suggest that in older individuals regular physical activity may provide physiological improvements which in turn might reduce "the rate of aging".     

Developmental origins of physical fitness: the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study

Background

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a major factor influencing health and disease outcomes including all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. Importantly CRF is also modifiable and could therefore have a major public health impact. Early life exposures play a major role in chronic disease development. Our aim was to explore the potential prenatal and childhood origins of CRF in later life.

Methods/Principal Findings

This sub-study of the HBCS (Helsinki Birth Cohort Study) includes 606 men and women who underwent a thorough clinical examination and participated in the UKK 2-km walk test, which has been validated against a maximal exercise stress test as a measure of CRF in population studies. Data on body size at birth and growth during infancy and childhood were obtained from hospital, child welfare and school health records. Body size at birth was not associated with adult CRF. A 1 cm increase in height at 2 and 7 years was associated with 0.21 ml/kg/min (95% CI 0.02 to 0.40) and 0.16 ml/kg/min (95% CI 0.03 to 0.28) higher VO_2max, respectively. Adjustment for adult lean body mass strengthened these findings. Weight at 2 and 7 years and height at 11 years became positively associated with CRF after adult lean body mass adjustment. However, a 1 kg/m² higher BMI at 11 years was associated with −0.57 ml/kg/min (95% CI −0.91 to −0.24) lower adult VO_2max, and remained so after adjustment for adult lean body mass.

Conclusion/Significance

We did not observe any significant associations between body size at birth and CRF in later life. However, childhood growth was associated with CRF in adulthood. These findings suggest, importantly from a public point of view, that early growth may play a role in predicting adult CRF.     

The effect of a four-month physical fitness program on a young and an old group matched for physical fitness.

A young (X = 36.8 years) and an old (X = 52.9 years) group (n = 12) matched for physical fitness performed a graded exercise test at the beginning and after a 4-month physical fitness program consisting of calisthenics, jogging, and recreational activities. The purpose of the study was to determine if there were any differences in response to physical training in the two age groups of similar fitness. Sixteen physiological and four biochemical variables were measured. There was no significant difference in VO2 max between the young and old groups. Also, there were no significant differences between groups for serum total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, or glucose levels. The effects of the training program were similar for both the young and old groups.     

Psychological testing, IQ, and evolutionary fitness

Individual, group, and ethnic differences in behavior have been an object of long, continuing, and contentious interest, both in the sciences and in popular culture. For well over 2,000 years, psychological traits, particularly those described as ‘intelligence’, have generally been considered the major factors in fitness in humans. After reviewing contemporary scientific thinking on intelligence, the psychometric methods used for the construction of psychological tests are presented and examined in the context of natural selection and metric characters. There are essential differences between the disciplines of genetics and of psychology such that the concepts of the two are more divergent than might superficially appear to be the case. The analysis leads to the conclusion that standard psychometric methodology cannot yield tests appropriate for measurement of evolutionary fitness characters. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Biological age versus physical fitness age in women

The purpose of this study was to determine whether adult women who are in a state of high physical fitness are in a good state biologically, in terms of biological and physical fitness ages as estimated by statistical means. The subjects were 65 healthy Japanese women (aged 20-64 years). Biological and physical fitness ages were estimated from the data for 18 physiological function tests and 5 physical fitness tests, respectively, by a principal component model. The correlation coefficient between biological and physical fitness ages was 0.70 (P less than 0.01), which was generally regarded as a high correlation. Therefore, those who were in a state of high physical fitness were considered to be in good biological condition. This result is in good agreement with the results (r = 0.72) from adult men, on whom we reported previously. A statistical analysis to ascertain the relative importance of each contributory variable associated with the variance in biological age suggested that routine clinical evaluation of blood pressure and lipid metabolism might play an important role in determining not only the presence and severity of vascular disease but also the rate of biological aging in women.     

Physiological testing of basketball players: toward a standard evaluation of anaerobic fitness

The aim of this study was to examine whether the changes in the rules of the game instituted in 2000 have modified the physiological factors of success in basketball. The performances of 8 elite male players and 8 average-level players were compared in order to identify which components of fitness among agility, speed, anaerobic power, anaerobic capacity, and upper body strength were key determinants of performance in modern basketball. Each subject performed 7 tests, including vertical jump (VJ), 20-m sprint, agility T test, suicide sprint, 30-second Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), isokinetic testing of the knee extensors, and 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press test. The statistical difference in the anaerobic performances was assessed by Student's t test. The main results showed that, compared to average-level players, elite-level players achieved significantly better performances in the agility T test (+6.2%), VJ test (+8.8%), peak torques developed by knee extensors (+20.2%), and 1RM bench press (+18.6%, p < 0.05). In contrast, no significant difference between groups was observed on 20-m sprint, suicide run, and parameters of the WAnT (p > 0.05). These results emphasized the importance of anaerobic power in modern basketball, whereas anaerobic capacity does not seem to be a key aspect to consider. In this context, coaches are advised to avoid using exercises lasting >/=30 seconds in their physical fitness programs, but instead to focus on short and intense tests such as VJ, agility T test, and sprints over very short distances (5 or 10 m).     

Anthropometric indices and physical fitness in university undergraduates with different physical activity.

Physical activity and fitness have important health promoting effects with respect to arterosclerosis and coronary heart disease in particular. An intervention study of physical status and physical activity in university undergraduates (University of Tartu) has been carried out. The physically inactive (Group I) consisted of 310 undergraduates (235 females and 75 males) of the Faculty of Medicine. The physically active (Group II) was recruited from among undergraduates (22 females and 23 males) of the Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, who participated in training sessions regularly, 3 to 5 times per week. Anthropometric body measurements, arm force, vital capacity and exercise test on the bicycle ergometer (PWC170) were performed. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean values of anthropometric indices in case of physically inactive and physically active female subjects. In the group of physically active male undergraduates, weight and shoulder width were larger than in students with physically sedentary life style (p < 0.05). Most of the female and male students had normal BMI. There were statistically significant differences in the mean values of vital capacity, arm force and aerobic working capacity between the study groups, while physically active students had higher physical capacity (p < 0.001). Mean anthropometric indices demonstrated a statistically significant increase in both female and male university undergraduates after the interval of 30 years. Normal BMI and anthropometric indices do not serve a as guarantee of physical fitness for university undergraduates who are involved in sedentary life style. Regular physical activity has a strong positive impact on physical fitness, particularly on aerobic capacity which is the most important health promoting component of physical fitness with respect to coronary heart disease.