Intermittent Hypoxia as a Therapeutic Tool to Improve Health Parameters in Older Adults

Rafael Timon, Adrián González-Custodio, Aldo Vasquez-Bonilla, Guillermo Olcina and Alejo Leal
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Rafael Timon: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Adrián González-Custodio: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Aldo Vasquez-Bonilla: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Guillermo Olcina: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Alejo Leal: Centro Medico Alejo Leal, 10004 Cáceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-9

Abstract: Aging is associated with metabolic alterations, and with a loss of strength, muscle and bone mass. Moderate intermittent hypoxia has been proposed as a new tool to enhance health-related function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of moderate intermittent hypoxia exposures on parameters related to cardiovascular and bone health in older adults. A total of 38 healthy older adults (aged 65–75 years) were divided into two groups: control group (C), and hypoxia group (H) that was subjected to an intermittent hypoxia exposure (at simulated altitude of 2500 m asl) during a 24-week period (3 days/week). Body composition, blood pressure, metabolic parameters (Cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose), C-reactive protein (CRP), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 10 (IL-10), N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and beta C-terminal telopeptide of collagen bone formation (b-CTX) were analyzed before and after the intervention. A repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to evaluate between-group differences. The results showed that the hypoxia group achieved after the intervention a decrease in fat mass, CRP (pro-inflammatory biomarker) and b-CTX (bone resorption biomarker), as well as an increase in PINP (bone formation biomarker). In conclusion, the intermittent hypoxia might be a useful therapeutic tool to deal with problems associated with aging, such as the increase in body fat, the loss of bone mass or low-grade inflammation.

Keywords: hypoxia exposure; older adults; fat mass; inflammatory biomarkers; bone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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