EFFECTS OF PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE TRAINING ON IMMUNE-RESPONSE IN AGING AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION

The effects of 12 wk of progressive resistance strength training on in vivo and in vitro immune parameters were evaluated in a controlled st udy of eight subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), eight healthy yo ung (22-30 yr), and eight healthy elderly (65-80 yr) individuals. Six healthy elderly (65-80 yr) nontraining control subjects were also eval uated to account for seasonal and psychosocial effects. Training subje cts exercised at 80% of their one-repetition maximum and performed eig ht repetitions per set, three sets per session on a twice weekly basis . Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subpopulations, cytokine an d prostaglandin (PG) E(2) production, proliferative response, and dela yed type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin response were measured before and after 12 wk of training. Training did not induce changes in PBMC subs ets, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), IL-6, IL-2, or PGE(2) production, lymphocyte proliferation, or DTH response in any of the training groups compared with control subjects. These d ata suggest that 12 wk of high-intensity progressive resistance traini ng does not affect immune function in young or elderly individuals or subjects with RA.