Effects of home-based combined resistance training and walking on metabolic profiles in elderly Japanese

Background: To evaluate the effects of home‐based combined resistance training and walking on metabolic profiles in elderly Japanese subjects. Methods: Two hundred and forty‐four elderly Japanese participants were divided into two groups (184 training group and 60 controls). Each exercise training session consisted of one set of 10 repetitions of 11 different resistance exercises, and the training lasted 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were obtained for measurements of serum levels of total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), triglycerides, hemoglobin A_1c, insulin and plasma glucose, before and after the training period. We estimated insulin resistance using the homeostasis model assessment. Five subjects further underwent a two‐step hyperinsulinemic‐euglycemic clamp to evaluate insulin action directly before and after the training. Results: Training resulted in a significant increase in HDL‐C (60 ± 1–62 ± 1 mg/dL, mean ± SE, P < 0.01) and a significant decrease in triglycerides (115 ± 5–106 ± 4 mg/dL, P < 0.05), while no significant changes were observed for total cholesterol, plasma glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment or hemoglobin A_1c. Glucose infusion rates during the hyperinsulinemic‐euglycemic clamp increased by 30% (P < 0.05) at the 40 mU/m² per min infusion rate, from 5.4 ± 0.9 to 7.0 ± 1.1 mg/kg per min and by 15% (P < 0.01) at the 400 mU/m² per min infusion rate, from 9.4 ± 1.0 to 10.8 ± 1.2 mg/kg per min. In the control group, no significant changes were noted except for a significant decrease in HDL‐C. Conclusions: Our home‐based exercise program for elderly is safe and effective for improving metabolic profiles.