Review
Physiology
Arpan Das, Bruce Paton
Summary: This review explores the optimal combination of limb occlusion pressure (LOP) and one repetition max weight (1RM) for significant results using blood flow restriction (BFR) training. The findings suggest that training with a minimum of 30%1RM with BFR can achieve strength gains comparable to non-BFR high intensity training. Additionally, moderate intensity BFR training (40-60%1RM) may produce better results than non-BFR high intensity training, although there is limited literature available.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Eduardo D. S. Freitas, Murat Karabulut, Michael G. Bemben
Summary: The use of blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise has become an accepted alternative approach to improve skeletal muscle mass and function and improve cardiovascular function in individuals that are not able to or do not wish to use traditional exercise protocols. Safety concerns related to the cardiovascular system have not been consistently reported, making BFR exercise a relatively safe technique for most people. However, more research is needed to fully explore the mechanisms of adaptation and address unresolved issues such as the actual external loads used in combination with BFR.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Physiology
Mikhail Santos Cerqueira, Eduardo Caldas Costa, Ricardo Santos Oliveira, Rafael Pereira, Wouber Herickson Brito Vieira
Summary: BFR training combines exercise and blood flow restriction using a pressured cuff, aiming to increase strength and muscle mass. However, the optimal pressure for blood flow restriction remains unclear, as increasing cuff pressure may not necessarily enhance cardiovascular outcomes and could increase discomfort and risks, particularly in clinical populations. Future research should investigate whether maintaining or decreasing cuff pressure in BFR training can lead to safer and more comfortable outcomes with similar physiological adaptations.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Sport Sciences
Ewoud Jacobs, Nicholas Rolnick, Evi Wezenbeek, Lenka Stroobant, Robbe Capelleman, Nele Arnout, Erik Witvrouw, Joke Schuermans
Summary: This study examined the effects of autoregulated (AUTO) and non-autoregulated (NAUTO) blood flow restriction (BFR) application on adverse effects, performance, cardiovascular and perceptual responses during resistance exercise. The results showed that AUTO outperformed NAUTO in the failure protocol and had significantly lower DOMS 24 hours after exercise. Perceptions of effort and discomfort were significantly higher in NAUTO compared with AUTO. AUTO BFR training did not seem to affect cardiovascular stress differently, but was associated with lower DOMS, perceived effort and discomfort compared with NAUTO.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Nicholas Rolnick, Kyle Kimbrell, Victor de Queiros
Summary: Training with blood flow restriction (BFR) is a beneficial technique for improving muscle hypertrophy and strength using low intensities. However, there is a lack of awareness regarding important design characteristics and safety considerations associated with BFR cuff application. Further research is needed to understand the impact of these factors on training response and safety.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Sport Sciences
Rodrigo Ramalho Aniceto, Leonardo da Silva Leandro
Summary: Most studies on blood flow restriction (BFR) training have used devices capable of regulating restriction pressure, which may not be practical for the general population. Practical blood flow restriction (pBFR) training suggests the use of elastic knee wraps as an alternative, but there is no consensus on the pressure applied. This article critically examines the techniques used to prescribe the pressure exerted by the elastic wrap during pBFR training and recommends applying pressure based on limb circumference.
SPORTS MEDICINE-OPEN
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Alexander Franz, Sanghyeon Ji, Bernd Bittersohl, Christoph Zilkens, Michael Behringer
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of BFRE prehabilitation on pre- and postoperative muscle mass, strength, and quality of life in patients undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). The results showed that BFRE prehabilitation significantly improved muscle strength and femoral circumference, with positive impacts on postoperative recovery and quality of life.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Christopher Pignanelli, Danny Christiansen, Jamie F. Burr
Summary: The application of BFR training in athletes has garnered increasing interest, with studies showing enhanced skeletal muscle and cardiovascular adaptations, leading to rapid improvements in muscle size, strength, and endurance.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Victor Sabino de Queiros, Matheus Dantas, Gabriel Rodrigues Neto, Luiz Felipe da Silva, Marina Goncalves Assis, Paulo Francisco Almeida-Neto, Paulo Moreira Silva Dantas, Breno Guilherme de Araujo Tinoco Cabral
Summary: The majority of professionals couple the BFR technique with resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy and physical rehabilitation. Most professionals use BFR for less than 5 minutes incorporating pressure determined by brachial blood pressure and arterial occlusion values. Common side effects observed include tingling and delayed onset of muscle soreness.
Article
Physiology
Robert Solsona, Romeo Deriaz, Fabio Borrani, Anthony M. J. Sanchez
Summary: This study compared muscle deoxygenation and reoxygenation kinetics during a sprint interval protocol under four different modalities. It found that reoxygenation was delayed in the blood flow restriction condition, and reoxygenation was slower in the gravity-induced blood flow restriction condition.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Cristina Bobes Alvarez, Paloma Issa-Khozouz Santamaria, Ruben Fernandez-Matias, Daniel Pecos-Martin, Alexander Achalandabaso-Ochoa, Samuel Fernandez-Carnero, Antonio Martinez-Amat, Tomas Gallego-Izquierdo
Summary: BFR training shows positive effects on quadriceps strength and CSA in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction and suffering from KOA, but has less significant impact on pain perception, function, and quality of life. Further research is needed to confirm its efficacy.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Brendan R. Scott, Olivier Girard, Nicholas Rolnick, James R. Mckee, Paul S. R. Goods
Summary: This commentary discusses the evolving methods of blood-flow restriction (BFR) training for different populations, from healthy athletes to clinical or load-compromised populations. It highlights the combination of BFR with various types of resistance training, energy systems training, and sports-specific activities. BFR is also being used passively in muscle disuse or rehabilitation periods and as a preconditioning or performance-enhancement technique. These methods have been reported to improve muscle development, cardiorespiratory fitness, functional capacities, tendon, bone, and vascular adaptations, and pain reduction. However, there are still unanswered questions in the emerging field of BFR.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elisio A. Pereira-Neto, Hayley Lewthwaite, Terry Boyle, Kylie Johnston, Hunter Bennett, Marie T. Williams
Summary: There is limited evidence on the effects of BFRE on vascular function, predominantly among healthy young adults. Specific dynamic resistance exercise protocols with blood flow restriction may have a positive impact on endothelial function, warranting further investigation.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hironaga Ogawa, Toshiaki Nakajima, Ikuko Shibasaki, Takahisa Nasuno, Hiroyuki Kaneda, Satoshi Katayanagi, Hayato Ishizaka, Yuta Mizushima, Azusa Uematsu, Tomohiro Yasuda, Hiroshi Yagi, Shigeru Toyoda, Tibor Hortobagyi, Takashi Mizushima, Teruo Inoue, Hirotsugu Fukuda
Summary: This study investigated the effects of low-intensity resistance training combined with moderate blood flow restriction on muscle strength and size in patients early after cardiac surgery. The results showed that KAATSU RT can safely increase skeletal muscle strength and size, with improvements in muscle thickness, walking speed, and knee extensor strength.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Sport Sciences
Charlie J. Davids, Truls Raastad, Lachlan P. James, Trishan Gajanand, Emily Smith, Mark Connick, Hamish McGorm, Shelley Keating, Jeff S. Coombes, Jonathan M. Peake, Llion A. Roberts
Summary: The study compared skeletal muscle morphological and functional outcomes after low-load resistance training using two different blood flow restriction (BFR) protocols. The results showed that adding BFR did not result in superior morphological or functional adaptations in recreationally active individuals. Intermittent BFR and low-load resistance training without BFR were found to be suitable alternative training methods.
JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Damon P. Eisen, Karin Leder, Robyn L. Woods, Jessica E. Lockery, Sarah L. McGuinness, Rory Wolfe, David Pilcher, Elizabeth M. Moore, Adithya Shastry, Mark R. Nelson, Christopher M. Reid, John J. McNeil, Emma S. McBryde
Summary: The study found that daily low-dose aspirin treatment did not reduce deaths associated with sepsis in community dwelling older adults. The findings do not support the use of aspirin as a primary prevention strategy to reduce the burden of sepsis in this population.
LANCET RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Rakibul M. Islam, Robin J. Bell, David J. Handelsman, Penelope J. Robinson, Rory Wolfe, Susan R. Davis
Summary: Sex steroid levels in women aged 70 and older can increase rather than decrease, with potential implications for survival advantage. Changes in testosterone levels appear to be independent of changes in SHBG levels, while a decrease in body mass index is associated with an increase in serum SHBG concentration.
CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo, Joanne Ryan, David A. Gonzalez-Chica, Robyn L. Woods, Christopher M. Reid, Mark R. Nelson, Anne M. Murray, Danijela Gasevic, Nigel P. Stocks, Rosanne Freak-Poli
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the association of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with all-cause mortality in older healthy community-dwelling individuals. The results showed that higher physical component scores were associated with lower all-cause mortality in the entire sample, while higher mental component scores were associated with lower mortality among U.S. participants only. Gender differences in this association were not observed.
QUALITY OF LIFE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Anesthesiology
Julia F-M Gilmartin-Thomas, Andrew Forbes, Danny Liew, John J. McNeil, Flavia M. Cicuttini, Alice J. Owen, Michael E. Ernst, Mark R. Nelson, Jessica Lockery, Stephanie A. Ward, Ljoudmila Busija, A. S. P. R. E. E. Investigator Group
Summary: The study evaluated the Pain Impact Index as a tool to assess chronic pain in community-dwelling older adults. Results showed that the rescored Index demonstrated good evidence of unidimensionality, successful differentiation between levels of pain impact, and strong construct validity.
Article
Neurosciences
Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo, David A. Gonzalez-Chica, Nigel P. Stocks, Elsdon Storey, Robyn L. Woods, Anne M. Murray, Suzanne G. Orchard, Raj C. Shah, Danijela Gasevic, Rosanne Freak-Poli, Joanne Ryan
Summary: In this study, higher Health-related quality of life (HRQoL), particularly the mental component scores (MCS), was associated with better cognition. Over time, higher MCS predicted a reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jessica E. Lockery, Jonathan C. Broder, Joanne Ryan, Ashley C. Stewart, Robyn L. Woods, Trevor T. -J. Chong, Geoffrey C. Cloud, Anne Murray, Jason D. Rigby, Raj Shah, Elsdon Storey, Stephanie A. Ward, Rory Wolfe, Christopher M. Reid, Taya A. Collyer, Michael E. Ernst
Summary: The study suggests that high anticholinergic burden in initially healthy older people is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia and ischemic stroke, especially of mixed etiology dementia. Therefore, it is important to minimize anticholinergic exposure in healthy older people to reduce the risk.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Rachel R. Deer, Erin Hosein, Alejandra Mera, Kristen Howe, Shawn Goodlett, Nicole Robertson, Elena Volpi
Summary: The study found that community-dwelling older adults did not meet their nutritional needs during recovery after acute hospitalization, particularly in terms of protein intake. This highlights the need for better nutritional evaluation and support of geriatric patients recovering from hospitalization.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Johanna Joyce, Joanne Ryan, Alice Owen, Jessie Hu, Joanna McHugh Power, Raj Shah, Robyn Woods, Elsdon Storey, Carlene Britt, Rosanne Freak-Poli
Summary: The study found that poor social health is associated with worse cognitive function in women, but not with incident dementia. There was no clear association found in men, and social health did not accurately predict cognitive decline or dementia. The study also lacked power to stratify dementia analyses by gender.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Sara E. Espinoza, Robyn L. Woods, A. R. M. Saifuddin Ekram, Michael E. Ernst, Galina Polekhina, Rory Wolfe, Raj C. Shah, Stephanie A. Ward, Elsdon Storey, Mark R. Nelson, Christopher M. Reid, Jessica E. Lockery, Suzanne G. Orchard, Ruth Trevaks, Sharyn M. Fitzgerald, Nigel P. Stocks, Andy Chan, John J. McNeil, Anne M. Murray, Anne B. Newman, Joanne Ryan
Summary: Low-dose aspirin use in healthy older adults does not reduce the risk of incident frailty or alter the trajectory of frailty.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Jo Wrigglesworth, Nurathifah Yaacob, Phillip Ward, Robyn L. Woods, John McNeil, Elsdon Storey, Gary Egan, Anne Murray, Raj C. Shah, Sharna D. Jamadar, Ruth Trevaks, Stephanie Ward, Ian H. Harding, Joanne Ryan
Summary: In this study, the difference between brain age and chronological age (brain-PAD) was found to be negatively associated with psychomotor speed in relatively healthy older adults, but not with other cognitive functions at baseline or longitudinally. Further research into longitudinal changes in brain-PAD is needed to fully understand its relationship with cognitive function.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo, David A. Gonzalez-Chica, Nigel P. Stocks, Robyn L. Woods, Jane Fisher, Thach Tran, Alice J. Owen, Stephanie A. Ward, Carlene J. Britt, Joanne Ryan, Rosanne Freak-Poli
Summary: This study identified four physical HRQoL trajectories among older people, with economic factors, social health, and stressful life events impacting these trajectories. Specific stressful life events had a greater impact on adverse physical HRQoL trajectories in older people than other factors. Volunteering may prevent physical HRQoL decline and requires further investigation.
QUALITY OF LIFE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Mabel K. Yan, Suzanne G. Orchard, Nikki R. Adler, Rory Wolfe, Catriona McLean, Luz Maria Rodriguez, Robyn L. Woods, Peter Gibbs, Andrew T. Chan, Andrew Haydon, Victoria J. Mar
Summary: The effects of aspirin on melanoma are unclear, with this study finding no strong support for a reduced risk of invasive melanoma in older individuals associated with aspirin exposure.
CANCER PREVENTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Michael C. Robertson, Maria Chang Swartz, Ursela Christopherson, Jason R. Bentley, Karen M. Basen-Engquist, Debbe Thompson, Elena Volpi, Elizabeth J. Lyons
Summary: This study investigates the reactions and thoughts of older adult women towards a photography-based, social media walking game. The results show that the game was well received and increased motivation for physical activity. It also brought about a wide variety of emotive experiences. Furthermore, a clear and geographically specific identity emerged as a key driver of interest for the intervention content.
JMIR SERIOUS GAMES
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Shalender Bhasin, Peggy M. Cawthon, Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, Thomas W. Storer, Elena Volpi, Anne B. Newman, Waly Dioh, Cendrine Tourette, William J. Evans, Roger A. Fielding
Summary: Several candidate molecules for treating physical limitations associated with aging and chronic diseases are being developed. However, challenges in defining indications, eligibility criteria, and endpoints, as well as a lack of regulatory guidance, have hindered the development of function-promoting therapies.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Wayne W. Campbell, Nicolaas E. P. Deutz, Elena Volpi, Caroline M. Apovian
Summary: This narrative review discusses the impact of dietary protein intake on muscle-related attributes of older adults. Insufficient protein intake exacerbates age-related reductions in muscle size, quality, and function. Adequate protein intake promotes muscle size and function, with observational studies suggesting higher protein intake may enhance muscle strength and function. Higher protein intake benefits lean body mass changes under stress conditions. Specialized protein supplements can help attenuate muscle loss in older adults with medical conditions or acute illness. Animal protein sources are preferred for sarcopenia-related parameters. The quantity, quality, and patterning of dietary protein intake are important for supporting muscle size and function in older adults.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)