Key result
Low-intensity elastic band training with blood flow restriction increased quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area by 6.9% and knee extension strength by 13.7% (p<0.05) in older women.
Why the study?
Does low-intensity elastic band training with blood flow restriction improve thigh muscle size and vascular function in older women?
RCT (n=30)
No
Does low-intensity elastic band training with blood flow restriction improve thigh muscle size and vascular function in older women?
Low-intensity elastic band training with blood flow restriction increases thigh muscle size and strength without impairing vascular function in older women.
May support low-intensity BFR training for muscle gains in older women; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
// Tomohiro Yasuda 1,2,3 , Kazuya Fukumura 1 , Takanobu Tomaru 3 and Toshiaki Nakajima 1,4 1 Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan 2 School of Nursing, Seirei Christopher University, Shizuoka, Japan 3 Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan 4 Heart Center, Dokkyo Medical University Hospital, Tochigi, Japan Correspondence to: Tomohiro Yasuda, email: // Keywords : sarcopenia, vascular occlusion, muscle hypertrophy, resistance exercise, arterial stiffness, Gerotarget Received : December 08, 2015 Accepted : May 12, 2016 Published : May 23, 2016 Abstract We examined the effect of elastic band training with blood flow restriction (BFR) on thigh muscle size and vascular function in older women. Older women were divided into three groups: low-intensity elastic band BFR training (BFR-Tr, n = 10), middle- to high-intensity elastic band training (MH-Tr, n = 10), and no training (Ctrl, n = 10) groups. BFR-Tr and MH-Tr groups performed squat and knee extension exercises using elastic band, 2 days/week for 12 weeks. During BFR-Tr exercise session, subjects wore pressure cuffs around the most proximal region of both thighs. The following measurements were taken before (pre) and 3-5 days after (post) the final training session: MRI-measured muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) at mid-thigh, maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of knee extension, central systolic blood pressure (c-SBP), central-augmentation index (c-AIx), cardio-ankle vascular index testing (CAVI), ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI). Quadriceps muscle CSA (6.9%) and knee extension MVIC (13.7%) were increased ( p < 0.05) in the BFR-Tr group, but not in the MH-Tr and the Ctrl groups. Regarding c-SBP, c-AIx, CAVI and ABI, there were no changes between pre- and post- results among the three groups. Elastic band BFR training increases thigh muscle CSA as well as maximal muscle strength, but does not decrease vascular function in older women.
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Yasuda et al. (2016) conducted an RCT in Older women (n=30). Low-intensity elastic band training with blood flow restriction vs. Middle- to high-intensity elastic band training and no training was evaluated on Quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) (p=< 0.05). Low-intensity elastic band training with blood flow restriction increased quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area by 6.9% and knee extension strength by 13.7% (p<0.05) in older women.
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