The effect of physical activity and intermittent fasting on healthy aging in elderly residents of a nursing home

As the 20th century saw an unprecedented increase in life expectancy in many countries around the world, elderly health planning has become an imperative need. Simple daily exercises and small changes in dietary habits can make the elderly healthier and more independent in personal affairs. We investigated the effects of Bocce and intermittent fasting practices, which are different forms of exercise and intermittent fasting practices, on the aging processes of sedentary elderly people. For this purpose, 60 elderly (28 males, 32 females) with a mean age of 69.5±6.7 years were divided into four groups as Control, Intermittent Fasting (IF), Bocce (Bo), Bocce and Intermittent Fasting Group (Bo+IF). No intervention was performed in the Control. The IF group were subjected to food restriction for 16 hours on two days of the week. The Bo group played Bocce five days a week. The Bo+ IF group received an IF twice a week in addition to playing Bocce five days a week. Body analysis values were examined before and after the 12-week interventions, as well as changes in some parameters in blood serum, myokines and growth factors. Changes in cognitive status was also evaluated with the mini mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) and Beck depression scale. When the data obtained were analyzed, body weight, body fat ratio, lipid, LDL, triglyceride, HOMA-IR, myostatin values decreased significantly in IF, Bo, Bo+IF groups, while CK and BDNF values increased (p<0.05). The mean scores obtained from the MMSE, MoCA test scales in the IF, Bo, Bo+IF groups increased significantly, while the mean scores obtained from the Beck depression test scale decreased (p<0.05). Based on these findings, it was concluded that exercise, IF, and their combination may protect against age-related sarcopenia, slow the development of metabolic disorders, and improve cognitive functioning in the elderly.