Impact of air pollution on the health of the older adults during physical activity and sedentary behavior: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution, in addition to presenting health risks, can impact the practice of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in older adults. This study analyzed the impact of air pollution on the health of older adults during PA and SB, through a systematic review. METHODS: A keyword and reference search was performed in PubMed, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. Predetermined selection criteria included study designs: interventions or experiments, retrospective or prospective cohort studies, cross-sectional studies and case-control studies; population: older adults aged 60 years or older; exposures: specific air pollutants (particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), black carbon (CN), ultrafine particles (PU), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and biomass fuels) indoors and outdoors; and outcomes: physical activity and/or sedentary behavior. RESULTS: The beneficial effects of PA were attenuated or harmed in 11 studies, showing negative impacts on the health of the older adults, mainly by PM2.5 pollutants. On the other hand, in 10 studies the effects of PA were greater than the negative effects of air pollutants, with a greater frequency in relation to PM2.5. In general, even the articles presenting controversial results suggest that practicing PA in polluted environments is more favorable to the health of older adults than remaining in SB. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: On the one hand, air pollution negatively impacted the health of the older adults during PA practices, while on the other hand, PA can mitigate the negative effects of pollutants on the health of older adults during the practices. Evidence shows that practicing PA in environments with low concentrations of pollutants can provide gains and reduce health risks. Remaining in SB in environments with high levels of air pollution worsens the health of older adults.

Effects of resistance training on sleep of patients with fibromyalgia: A systematic review.

This study investigated the effects of resistance training (RT) on the sleep quality of patients with fibromyalgia (FM), through a systematic review. The search was carried out in the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Initially, 148 studies were found, of which six were included for qualitative analysis. Four studies showed significant improvement in sleep after RT. Compared to other exercise modalities, RT proved to be superior to flexibility training and equivalent to aerobic exercise. Interventions lasted from 4 to 21 weeks, the weekly frequency ranged from two to three times, and the intensity ranged from 40% to 80% 1RM, with exercises for the major muscle groups. RT is an intervention that can be used to treat FM, however, more studies are needed to verify its effectiveness in improving sleep.

Effects of resistance training on the physical symptoms and functional capacity of patients with fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Resistance training (RT) has become an important topic for the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM); however, there are still controversies regarding its ability to significantly improve physical symptoms and a lack of adequate recommendations for evidence-based practice. AIM: The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of RT on the physical symptoms of patients with FM through a systematic review with meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials in June 2022, according to PRISMA recommendations. The searches were carried out on the databases PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science, PEDro, CINAHL, SciELO, and Google Scholar for gray literature, and the protocol was recorded in PROSPERO. Studies that evaluated patients with FM undergoing an RT program lasting more than 2 weeks and that analyzed physical health were selected. To carry out the meta-analysis, the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions were followed. RESULTS: In total, 13 studies were included for qualitative analysis and nine for meta-analysis. Regarding meta-analysis, a favorable improvement was found for pain ([MD = - 10.22 (95% CI: - 18.86 to - 1.58; I2: 64%; P for heterogeneity: 0.003)]; very low quality of evidence {QoE}), fatigue ([SMD = - 0.39 (95% CI: - 0.61 to - 0.17; I2: 0%; P = 0.91)]; moderate QoE), and muscle strength ([SMD = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.02 to 1.85; I2: 93%; for heterogeneity: < 0.0001)]; very low QoE) and improvement in functional capacity ([MD = 18.75 (95% CI: 4.27 to 33.22; I2: 39%; P = 0.19)]; low QoE), in the general comparison. CONCLUSION: RT was effective in reducing pain and fatigue and increasing strength and functional capacity; however, due to the quality of the evidence, more studies are needed.

Relationship between handgrip strength, peripheral muscle strength, and respiratory muscle endurance in women with fibromyalgia: a cross-sectional study / Relação entre força de preensão manual, força muscular periférica e resistência muscular respiratória em mulheres com fibromialgia: um estudo transversal

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disease characterized by generalized and chronic musculoskeletal pain. It is common, the presence of other symptoms such as fatigue, depression, sleep disorders, leading patients to adopt a sedentary lifestyle. Objective: Verify the muscular and respiratory strength of women with FM. Method: Is a cross-sectional study that evaluated 41 women with clinical diagnosis of FM. We analyzed handgrip strength (HS), the strength of the lower limbs, and respiratory muscle endurance using the spirometric maneuver. Results: Patients with FM had a significant reduction in HS, both in the dominant and non-dominant upper limb. Furthermore, peripheral muscle strength in the lower limbs was reduced because on average, participants exceeded the normative five-repetition sit-to-stand test times stipulated for the age groups. Approximately two-thirds of the sample had maximal voluntary ventilation values below the lower limit of normality. We detected inverse and moderate correlation between peripheral muscle strength and HS of non-dominant upper limb (r= −0.472; p= 0.002) and inverse and weak correlation with the HS of dominant upper limb (r= −0.374; p= 0.016); weak correlations between respiratory muscle endurance and HS of dominant upper limb (r= 0.299; p= 0.058), HS of non-dominant upper limb (r= −0.317; p= 0.043), and peripheral muscle strength (r= −0.372, p= 0.017); and strong correlation between HS of dominant upper limb and non-dominant upper limb (r= 0.899; p<0.001). Conclusion: Women with FM present with reduced muscle strength in the upper and lower limbs, as well as lower respiratory muscle resistance.

A Fibromialgia (FM) é uma doença caracterizada por dor musculoesquelética generalizada e crônica. É comum a presença de outros sintomas como fadiga, depressão, distúrbios do sono, levando os pacientes a adotarem um estilo de vida sedentário. Objetivo: Verificar a força muscular e respiratória de mulheres com FM. Método: Estudo transversal que avaliou 41 mulheres com FM. Analisamos a força de preensão manual (FPM), a força de membros inferiores e a resistência dos músculos respiratórios por meio da manobra espirométrica. Resultados: Pacientes com FM tiveram redução significativa da FPM, tanto no membro superior dominante quanto não dominante. A força muscular periférica dos membros inferiores foi reduzida porque, em média, os participantes excederam tempos normativos do teste de levantar e sentar estipulados para as faixas etárias. Aproximadamente dois terços da amostra apresentavam valores máximos de ventilação voluntária abaixo do limite inferior da normalidade. Detectamos correlação inversa e moderada entre força muscular periférica e FPM do membro superior não dominante (r= −0,472; p= 0,002) e correlação inversa e fraca com a FPM do membro superior dominante (r= −0,374; p= 0,016); correlações fracas entre resistência muscular respiratória e FPM do membro superior dominante (r= 0,299; p= 0,058), FPM do membro superior não dominante (r= -0,317; p= 0,043) e força muscular periférica (r= -0,372, p= 0,017); e forte correlação entre FPM de membro superior dominante e membro superior não dominante (r= 0,899; p<0,001). Conclusão: Mulheres com FM apresentam redução da força muscular de membros superiores e inferiores, bem como da resistência dos músculos respiratórios inferiores.

Effects of resistance training on the mental health of patients with fibromyalgia: a systematic review.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease characterized by generalized skeletal muscle pain and the presence of mental disorders is common among patients. As there is no cure, several treatment alternatives have been investigated, including the practice of resistance training. Thus, the aim of the current study is to analyze the effects of resistance training on the mental health of patients with fibromyalgia. This is a systematic review of the literature that followed the recommendations of the PRISMA statement. The search for articles occurred in May 2020 in the databases PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science, PEDro, and CINAHL, as well as Google Scholar for gray literature. The protocol was recorded in PROSPERO and assessment of quality was performed using the Cochrane tool. In total, 481 studies were found in the database searches, of which seven were included in the analysis. The only variables investigated in studies related to mental health were depression and anxiety. The results demonstrate that resistance training reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with fibromyalgia. It is concluded that resistance training is efficient to improve the mental health of patients with fibromyalgia, reducing depression and anxiety. The main limitation is that few variables related to mental health were analyzed. Key Points • Resistance training improves the mental health of patients with FM. • The most commonly studied variables related to mental health are depression and anxiety. • The study protocols are similar, starting with low-intensity training and gradually increasing the intensity.