Key result
Exercise training boosts myocardial enzyme activities in young rats but reduces them in older rats.
Why the study?
The effect of physical training on myocardial enzyme activities in aging rats and how age influences the adaptive response to endurance exercise was unclear.
Population
Male Fischer rats of four age groups (1, 6, 12, or 17-22 months)
Comparison
Exercise training vs sedentary controls
Design
3-month forced swimming exercise training program
Follow-up
3 months
Authors
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Should not inform human exercise prescriptions; leaves open whether training counters age-related cardiac changes in humans.
Chesky et al. (1983) studied Aging. Physical training (forced swimming) vs. age-matched sedentary controls was evaluated on Myocardial enzyme activities (actomyosin ATPase and creatine kinase) and heart weight. A 3-month exercise training program increased myocardial enzyme activities in 6-month-old rats but decreased them in 17-22-month-old rats compared to age-matched sedentary controls.
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