The Effect of 8 Weeks of Elastic Band Resistance Training on Serum Myostatin and Body Composition in Elderly Women

The most important changes associated with aging in the body are the deterioration and destruction of muscle mass and a dramatic decrease in the size and mass of the skeletal muscle that result from increased gene expression and secretion of the myostatin protein. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of elastic band resistance training on serum myostatin and body composition in elderly women. In this quasi-experimental study, 26 elderly women with a mean age of 65.81±0.69 were voluntarily selected as the subjects. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (n=13) and control (n=13). The experimental group performed the elastic band resistance training protocol for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per weeks and 60 minutes each session. Blood samples were collected before the first training session and 48 hours after the last session. ELISA method was used to measure biochemical variables and ANCOVA was used to analyze the data at a significance level of PP=0.014) and myostatin (P=0.002) in the intervention group compared with the control group, but BMI and TG decrease and HDL increase were not significant. According to these findings, elastic band resistance training reduced myostatin, changed lipid profile and could be a good training method for the elderly with simplicity and functionality.