Effects of Obesity in the Aged

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · Aug 24, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how obesity affects lung function and exercise ability in older adults, specifically those aged 65 to 75. Researchers want to compare older adults with obesity to those without it, looking at how obesity impacts breathing, physical fitness, and feelings of breathlessness during exercise. They will also explore whether a special treatment that reduces pressure on the chest can help improve lung function and exercise tolerance for those with obesity, especially for those who already have breathing problems.

To participate, individuals must be healthy older adults aged 65-75 with specific body fat levels and normal lung function. Important criteria include being a nonsmoker and not having significant heart or lung diseases. Participants will undergo tests to assess their lung function and exercise capacity, and they can expect to be involved in exercises that help researchers gather information about their breathing and fitness levels. This study aims to provide valuable insights into how obesity impacts older individuals and how certain treatments may help improve their health and quality of life.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• * Otherwise healthy older adults 65-75 years of age with normal lung function; men 30\< %body fat ≤50 and women 35\< %body fat ≤55; and ability to perform pulmonary and exercise test. Other inclusion criteria include the following:
• • Nonsmokers who have no history of smoking
• • No personal history of significant mental illness
• • No weight loss dietary restrictions
• • No current or past history of significant substance or alcohol abuse
• • No history, evidence, or uncontrolled symptoms of heart disease
• • No history of uncontrolled hypertension
• • No current medications that may interfere with exercise capacity
• • No recent history or indication of asthma
• • No musculoskeletal abnormality that would preclude exercise
• • No serious health conditions that would preclude study goals or participation in exercise (per PI \& medical staff \& preliminary or follow up testing; including significant other diseases, occult asthma, prior surgeries-especial lung or abdominal, or history of chemotherapy that could affect lung or heart function)
• • Only postmenopausal women will be included.
• • Women on hormone replacement therapy will be allowed to participate if the dosage remains similar during the entire protocol.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Volunteers with a mMRC score of 3 or 4 will be excluded due to likeliness of underlying disease.
• • Individuals participating in regular vigorous conditioning exercise such as running, jogging, aerobics, cycling, or swimming more than three times per week will be excluded. However, if subjects have an exceedingly high exercise capacity (greater than 2 SD of predicted), they will be excluded.
• • Maximal cycle ergometry test will be used to determine if further participation in testing is appropriate for the participant (e.g., normal exercise test, exclude presence of provokable ECG changes suggestive of heart disease, or dangerous arrhythmias or exercise induced hypertension or bronchoconstriction. If the participant develops an abnormal ECG or shows other signs of exercise intolerance or if signs of cardiovascular disease are noted during the exercise test, it will be terminated and the participant will be referred to their personal physician for further evaluation (see DMSP).
• • Premenopausal women will be excluded.