Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Oct 1;26(4):655-670.
doi: 10.1123/japa.2017-0054. Epub 2018 Jun 20.

Variability in Individual Response to Aerobic Exercise Interventions Among Older Adults

Mary O Whipple, Erica N Schorr, Kristine M C Talley, Ruth Lindquist, Ulf G Bronas, Diane Treat-Jacobson
Review

Variability in Individual Response to Aerobic Exercise Interventions Among Older Adults

Mary O Whipple et al. J Aging Phys Act. .

Abstract

Although a plethora of evidence supports the benefits of exercise among older adults, a majority of studies have emphasized group differences, while giving little, if any, attention to individual differences. Given the lack of data on variability in response, the present review examined how nonresponse to aerobic exercise has been defined in older adult populations and characteristics associated with nonresponse among older adults. The results of this review suggest that interindividual variability in response of maximal oxygen consumption to aerobic exercise interventions is prevalent among older adults (1.4-63.4%); age, sex, race, and body mass index may not be critical determinants of nonresponse; whereas health status, baseline fitness, and exercise dose appear important. Future intervention studies should evaluate and report the variability in individual response of older adults to exercise; investigators should develop programs that allow for modification of components to assist older adults in achieving optimal benefit from exercise programs.

Keywords: aging; heterogeneity; nonresponse; responsiveness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of article identification, screening, and selection. Note. *Representing 12 unique studies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual model outlining factors with little to no influence and a potential influence on responsiveness of VO2 peak as well as those that have not been evaluated in aerobic exercise studies with older adults. Note. None of the factors studied have strong evidence to support their relationship to nonresponse to aerobic exercise.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Böhm A, Weigert C, Staiger H, Häring HU. Exercise and diabetes: relevance and causes for response variability. Endocrine. 2015:1–12. doi: 10.1007/s12020-015-0792-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bouchard C. Individual differences in the response to regular exercise. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders: Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 1995;19(Suppl 4):S5–8. - PubMed
    1. Bouchard C, Blair SN, Church TS, Earnest CP, Hagberg JM, Hakkinen K, … Rankinen T. Adverse metabolic response to regular exercise: Is it a rare or common occurrence? PLoS ONE. 2012;7(5) doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037887. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bouchard C, Rankinen T. Individual differences in response to regular physical activity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2001;33(6):S446–S451. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200106001-00013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bouchard C, Sarzynski Ma, Rice TK, Kraus WE, Church TS, Sung YJ, … Rankinen T. Genomic predictors of the maximal O2 uptake response to standardized exercise training programs. Journal of Applied Physiology. 2011;110(5):1160–1170. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00973.2010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types