Motricidade
ISSN: 1646-107X
[email protected]
Desafio Singular - Unipessoal, Lda
Portugal
Moreira, H.; Aragão, F.; Almeida, V.; Mota, P.; Monteiro, M.; Gabriel, R.
The influence of obesity, sarcopenia and the characteristics of menopause in the maximum oxygen
intake of postmenopausal women
Motricidade, vol. 5, núm. 3, 2009, p. 65
Desafio Singular - Unipessoal, Lda
Vila Real, Portugal
Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=273020560034
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Area 4: Physiological and biomechanical evaluation | 65
The influence of obesity, sarcopenia and the characteristics of
menopause in the maximum oxygen intake of
postmenopausal women
H. Moreira 1, F. Aragão 1, V. Almeida 2, P. Mota 1, M. Monteiro 1, R. Gabriel 3
1 - Department of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, CIDESD, University of Trás-os-Montes and
Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
2 - Department of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro,
Vila Real, Portugal
3 - Department of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, CITAB, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto
Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
The objectives were to analyze the variation of maximum oxygen intake (VO2max) in
postmenopausal women, considering: fat mass (%FM), skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI),
hormone therapy (HRT) and the time of menopause (TM).
Thirty two women aged 60 to 73 performed a reproductive history and Vo2max was assessed
by a modified Bruce treadmill protocol. Skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR) and
%FM were evaluated by octopolar bioimpedance being the first expressed as SMMI. The cutoff points to obesity and sarcopenia were: FM≥35% and SMMI≤28%. Student’s t test for
independent samples and ANOVA with Bonferroni correction were used to compare groups.
The averages of VO2max and BMR were, respectively, 33.36 ml/kg/min, and 1275.27 kcal/day.
In the absence of HT, the women with TM>10 years revealed (p<0.05) a lower VO2max, (-8.38
ml/kg/min), noting that the HT has a beneficial effect in this variable in the presence of TM>10
years (+10.28 ml/kg/min). The obese/sarcopenic women presented average levels of VO2max
inferior (p<0.01) to those registered to non-sarcopenic with obesity (-7.88 ml/kg/min) and
without obesity (-15.27 ml/kg/min). In the presence of a normal muscular condition, the
obesity negatively influenced the VO2max.
Obesity and its overall combination with sarcopenia create a lower VO2max. in
postmenopausal women, therefore benefiting the use of HT, in the presence of an
amenorrhea period superior to 10 years. In the absence of HT, the TM worsens the aerobic
capacity.
Key words: maximum oxygen intake, obesity, sarcopenia, hormone therapy and time of
menopause