The study was aimed at determining the influence of aerobic endurance exercise and the intake of a multivitamin beverage (MV) on institutionalized people in their 8th and 9th decades of life. The study comprised 4 groups: exercise + MV (n = 16 completer, age: 83 +/- 8 years), exercise (n = 8, age: 82 +/- 8 years), MV (n = 8, age: 83 +/- 5 years), control (n = 7, age: 83 +/- 5 years). The period of exercise, 'aqua training', lasted 17 weeks, two times a week for 25 min. During this period, 250 ml/day of a commercially available multivitamin drink was administered in two of the four groups. At the outset and after the intervention, status of lipophilic antioxidants, vitamin C, malondialdehyde (MDA), cholesterol (total, LDL, HDL), triglycerides and uric acid was assessed. The influence on physical activity was evaluated via spiroergometry. The initial status of nutritive antioxidants was very satisfactory for this population group, only plasma beta-carotene was borderline. Plasma levels of total-cholesterol (243 +/- 42 mg/dl), LDL-cholesterol (161 +/- 35 mg/dl) and uric acid (5.8 +/- 1.4 mg/dl) were slightly above the reference value. Endurance exercise neither increased MDA nor decreased plasma antioxidants or changed plasma lipids. Moreover, plasma levels of beta-carotene (all MV intervention) and cryptoxanthin (group: exercise + MV) increased after intervention (p < 0.05). Physical performance did not enhance, only in the group exercise + MV the respiratory ratio (p < 0.05) and lactate (p = 0.072) increased.
Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.