About this trial
Aging-related functional declines are thought to be caused by hallmark biological processes that ultimately manifest in physical, mental, and metabolic impairments to compromise intrinsic capacity and healthspan. Exercise is the only multipotent treatment with promise to mitigate many of the aging hallmarks, but there is substantial variability in individual exercise responsiveness. Thus, the investigators approach to boosting exercise responsiveness in aging is to combine an exercise training prescription containing both endurance and resistance training (in alignment with DHHS guidelines) with a nitrate-enriched dietary supplement to augment the cellular, tissue, and systemic adaptations that induce myriad health benefits of exercise in older adults.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Male or female aged 60 years or older
Free of chronic disease or disorder that would preclude full participation or have the potential to confound results
No structured exercise program (2 or more bouts/wk) within previous 12 months
Cognitively capable of providing informed consent
Disqualifiers
BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2
Neurodegenerative disease
Neuromuscular, musculoskeletal or orthopedic disorder or condition that would limit ability to perform the exercise prescription and/or physical performance testing
Diagnosed orthostatic hypotension, i.e., a drop in systolic blood pressure of at least 20 mmHg or a drop in diastolic blood pressure of at least 10 mmHg within three minutes of standing up from a sitting or lying position.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Nitrate enriched beetroot juice
- Nitrate depleted beetroot juice
- 12 week of combined exercise training