Heat Therapy and Muscle Function Study

Description

Exercise tolerance decreases with age and a sedentary lifestyle. Muscle critical power (CP), is a sensitive measure of exercise tolerance that is more even more relevant to and predictive of endurance performance than VO2max. While recent evidence indicates that CP and muscle function decrease with aging, the cause of this decrease in CP and the best way to mitigate the decrease in CP are unknown. This study will: 1. Measure knee extensor CP in young and old individuals and determine the extent to which changes in muscle oxygen delivery (e.g. resistance artery function, maximum exercise blood flow), muscle mass and composition (e.g. whole-muscle size, muscle fiber cross-sectional area) and mitochondrial oxygen consumption (e.g. maximal coupled respiration of permeabilized fibers biopsied from the knee extensors) contribute to the decrease in CP with age. 2. Examine the effectiveness of two different therapies (1. High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT and 2. Muscle Heat Therapy) at improving muscle function and critical power in young and older adults. 3. Examine the impact of muscle disuse (2 weeks of leg immobilization), a potential contributor to the decrease in muscle function with aging, on muscle function and critical power and determine if heat therapy is an effective means of minimizing the impact of disuse on muscle function and critical power.

Conditions

Exercise Intolerance, Aging, Heat Therapy, High Intensity Interval Training

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

Exercise tolerance decreases with age and a sedentary lifestyle. Muscle critical power (CP), is a sensitive measure of exercise tolerance that is more even more relevant to and predictive of endurance performance than VO2max. While recent evidence indicates that CP and muscle function decrease with aging, the cause of this decrease in CP and the best way to mitigate the decrease in CP are unknown. This study will: 1. Measure knee extensor CP in young and old individuals and determine the extent to which changes in muscle oxygen delivery (e.g. resistance artery function, maximum exercise blood flow), muscle mass and composition (e.g. whole-muscle size, muscle fiber cross-sectional area) and mitochondrial oxygen consumption (e.g. maximal coupled respiration of permeabilized fibers biopsied from the knee extensors) contribute to the decrease in CP with age. 2. Examine the effectiveness of two different therapies (1. High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT and 2. Muscle Heat Therapy) at improving muscle function and critical power in young and older adults. 3. Examine the impact of muscle disuse (2 weeks of leg immobilization), a potential contributor to the decrease in muscle function with aging, on muscle function and critical power and determine if heat therapy is an effective means of minimizing the impact of disuse on muscle function and critical power.

Improving Critical Power and Muscle Function in Older Adults With Heat Therapy

Heat Therapy and Muscle Function Study

Condition
Exercise Intolerance
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Provo

Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States, 84602

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * 18-95 years of age
  • * Currently no cardiovascular or metabolic disease (e.g. heart failure, diabetes)
  • * ability to perform knee extension exercise
  • * Pregnant
  • * Current cardiovascular or metabolic disease (e.g. heart failure, diabetes)
  • * participating in exercise training within the last 6 months
  • * inability to perform knee extension exercise

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to 95 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

Brigham Young University,

Jayson Gifford, Ph.D., STUDY_DIRECTOR, Brigham Young University

Robert Hyldahl, Ph.D., PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Brigham Young Univeristy

Study Record Dates

2024-12-31