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senior fitness

Hormonal Changes in Older Adults During Different Types of Exercise

As we get older, keeping our endocrine system healthy is key. But how do older adults’ hormones react to different exercises? Today, we explore how aging, exercise, and hormones interact.

Exercise is known to fight age-related decline. But how it affects older adults’ hormones is still being studied. Studies show that exercise boosts the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 axis. This leads to muscle growth, helping older adults stay strong and full of life. Yet, different exercises can have different effects on hormone levels in the elderly.

Key Takeaways

  • Physical exercise can induce activity in the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 axis, leading to anabolic effects in skeletal muscles1.
  • Short-term high-resistance exercise may increase MGF mRNA in young subjects, but not in elderly individuals1.
  • The impact of physical exercise on circulating sex steroid hormone levels in men is mixed and inconsistent1.
  • Exercise may enhance the local effects of sex steroid hormones, which may be more crucial for skeletal muscle maintenance than circulating levels1.
  • In elderly women, increased physical activity and reduced body fat can decrease circulating sex hormone levels1.

Understanding Age-Related Hormonal Fluctuations in Senior Fitness

As we get older, our bodies change a lot. The number of adults aged 65 and up will hit 98.2 million by 2060 in the U.S2. It’s key to know these changes to make good elderly exercise programs and support active aging.

Impact of Aging on Endocrine System Function

Older people’s bodies change a lot. The part that controls hormones changes too. Losing muscle in legs makes it harder to move and increases falls2.

Starting at 35, we lose muscle slowly. It speeds up after 602. But, exercise can slow down these changes.

Key Hormones Affected by Exercise in Older Adults

Exercise changes hormones like growth hormone and sex hormones in older adults. DHEA, made by the adrenal gland, drops a lot after 302. Cortisol levels stay the same, but older adults have more of it because of hormone imbalances2.

Role of Physical Activity in Hormone Regulation

With age, muscle strength drops a lot2. Chronic inflammation hurts muscle and makes older adults weaker. Physical activity helps control hormones. Different exercises affect hormone levels differently2.

age-related hormonal fluctuations

Hormonal Changes Older Adults Exercise Types: A Comprehensive Analysis

As we age, our bodies change in many ways. This affects our health and how we feel. Recent studies show how exercise affects these changes in older adults.

Endurance and resistance exercises boost testosterone, estradiol, and growth hormone levels. This is important because our bodies lose vitality with age. Resistance exercises also raise DHEA levels in older women, from 19 to 69 years old3.

Exercise does more than just make us stronger. It helps our bodies use glucose better and lowers fasting insulin levels in older adults4. Sprint and strength training also lower fasting insulin in young and middle-aged men4.

Exercise Type Hormonal Changes
Endurance Exercise Increased testosterone, estradiol, and growth hormone levels3
Resistance Exercise Increased testosterone, estradiol, growth hormone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels3

Adding different low-impact workouts for seniors to their routine is key. This helps them stay healthy and avoid the need for hormone replacement therapy effects. It also helps them live longer and feel better.

Low-impact workouts for seniors

More research is needed on how exercise affects aging and hormones. This knowledge helps health experts and fitness lovers help seniors. By choosing the right exercises, older adults can stay healthy and happy, improving their life quality.

Growth Hormone and IGF-1 Response to Exercise in Aging Adults

As we get older, our hormones change a lot. This affects our health and how we feel. Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels go down with age5.

GH drops by 50% every seven years after we’re 18-25. Then, it drops another 25% between 35-45 years old. After that, it keeps going down5. This can make our muscles and bones smaller, and we might move less and be weaker5.

Mechano Growth Factor (MGF) Production

Mechano Growth Factor (MGF) is a special kind of IGF-1. It helps keep our muscles strong as we age6. But, young people can make more MGF when they exercise hard. Older people can’t do this as well6.

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This might be why older people’s muscles get weaker with time.

High-Resistance Exercise Effects on Growth Hormone

Doing hard exercises can make our bodies make more growth hormone5. This is good because it helps keep our muscles and bones strong. It’s especially helpful for older adults during andropause5.

Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Changes During Activity

Exercise can change IGF-1 levels in older adults in different ways6. Some studies say IGF-1 goes up with exercise. Others say it stays the same or even goes down65.

IGF-1 is important because it helps control growth hormone. It also helps our brains work better as we age6.

Keeping our growth hormones and factors like IGF-1 in balance is key for older adults. It helps our muscles, brains, and overall health65. Exercising is important for seniors to stay healthy and strong as they get older.

menopausal exercise benefits

Sex-Specific Hormonal Adaptations to Different Exercise Modalities

Exercise affects hormones differently in men and women as they age. Research shows that older women may see hormone levels with more exercise and less body fat7. For older men, the changes in hormone levels after exercise are not clear-cut7.

The impact of hormones on muscles is key for older adults7. It shows how important it is to understand how exercise and hormones work together for each sex.

  • Older women may experience a decrease in circulating sex hormone levels with increased physical activity and reduced body fat.7
  • Older men’s reported changes in circulating sex steroid hormone levels after exercise have been inconsistent.7
  • Local effects of sex steroid hormones may be more important than circulating levels for maintaining skeletal muscle function in older adults.7

It’s vital to think about sex differences when creating exercise plans for older people. Making exercise plans that fit each sex can help keep them healthy and fit as they get older7.

hormonal changes older adults exercise types

Conclusion

Exercise is key for older adults to keep their hormones balanced. Different exercises like endurance, high-intensity, and resistance training help. Studies show these exercises boost testosterone and other important hormones in older men and women8.

While some hormonal changes come with age, exercise can help slow them down. It keeps seniors healthy and happy. Exercise and eating less can also help slow down aging9.

Exercise is good for the body’s stress system, helping with cortisol levels10. It also helps with depression in older adults10.

The number of seniors in the US is growing fast. By 2050, there will be 83.7 million people aged 65 and older9. Keeping hormones balanced through exercise is crucial for healthy aging.

Source Links

  1. Impact of Physical Exercise on Endocrine Aging – PubMed – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27348867/
  2. Functional Aging and Hormone Health – IDEA Health & Fitness Association – https://www.ideafit.com/functional-aging-and-hormone-health/
  3. Effects of Exercise Training on Anabolic and Catabolic Hormones with Advanced Age: A Systematic Review – Sports Medicine – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-021-01612-9
  4. The Effect of Exercise on Glucoregulatory Hormones: A Countermeasure to Human Aging: Insights from a Comprehensive Review of the Literature – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6572009/
  5. Regular Physical Exercise Increase of Growth Hormone (GH) and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) Activity in Elderly Improve the Aging Process and Quality of Life: A Mini Review – https://biomedpharmajournal.org/vol15no2/regular-physical-exercise-increase-of-growth-hormone-gh-and-insulin-like-growth-factor-1-igf-1-activity-in-elderly-improve-the-aging-process-and-quality-of-life-a-mini-review/
  6. Physical exercise, IGF-1 and cognition A systematic review of experimental studies in the elderly – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6022990/
  7. Effects of exercise on sex steroid hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) in eumenorrheic females: A systematic to review and meta-analysis – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11186217/
  8. Effects of Exercise Training on Anabolic and Catabolic Hormones with Advanced Age: A Systematic Review – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9124654/
  9. Hormonal and Metabolic Changes of Aging and the Influence of Lifestyle Modifications – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8020896/
  10. Hormonal Function Responses to Moderate Aerobic Exercise in Older Adul | CIA – https://www.dovepress.com/hormonal-function-responses-to-moderate-aerobic-exercise-in-older-adul-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CIA
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I've been fascinated by natural male hormone optimization since 2016. And ever since I've been going through boatloads of different meta-analyses and scientific data associated with increasing testosterone levels naturally. I hold a PhD degree in public health and have 10+ scientific publications on Google Scholar. Thus, in my collective work here you'll find helpful tricks, natural remedies, detailed product reviews (including stuff I've personally tried)... and more!

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Although I'm a Ph.D., I'm not a medical doctor. The content on this websites is meant for educational and informational purposes only, it's not medical advice. The information and other content found on this website is not a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.