Impact of Loneliness on Training Gains with Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback in the Elderly: A Pilot Study.

The negative impact of loneliness on the health of the elderly is particularly noticeable because of the effects of central control on the autonomic nervous system. Such an impact can be assessed through heart rate variability (HRV) analysis and can be modified using HRV biofeedback training. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different levels of social interaction reported by the elderly on HRV before and after training with HRV biofeedback and after a follow-up period. The participants of this pilot study comprised 16 elderly people of both sexes with a mean age of 71.20 ± 4.92 years. The participants were divided into two groups, the loneliness group (N = 8) and the no-loneliness group (N = 8), based on a combination of both criteria: the institutionalization condition (institutionalized or not) and the score on the loneliness scale (high or low). All participants had their HRV components recorded at baseline, after 14 training sessions with HRV biofeedback (three times a week, 15 min each for 4.5 weeks), and after 4.5 weeks of follow-up without training. After HRV biofeedback training, HRV components increased in both groups. However, the gains lasted at follow-up only in the no-loneliness group. In conclusion, loneliness can influence the maintenance of HRV after interruption of training with HRV biofeedback in the elderly. HRV biofeedback training can be an innovative and effective tool for complementary treatment of elderly individuals, but its effects on lonely elderly individuals need to be further investigated.

Long-term benefits of heart rate variability biofeedback training in older adults with different levels of social interaction: a pilot study.

To test whether heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training benefits older adults with different social interaction levels. METHODS: 32 older adults (16 were institutionalized and 16 were not). Both groups received 14 sessions, 15 min, 3 times a week, with half of the individuals receiving HRV biofeedback training and the other half receiving control training. The following parameters were assessed immediately before and after training, and 4.5 weeks after the last session (follow-up period): aerobic conditioning, anthropometric data, emotional scores, and HRV components. RESULTS: Before the training, the institutionalized individuals had higher scores of loneliness (p < 0.01) and depression (p < 0.0001) and lower social touches (p < 0.0001), body mass (p = 0.04), and body fat percentage (p = 0.002) than the non-institutionalized individuals. HRV biofeedback improved symptoms of depression in both groups. HRV improved only in the non-institutionalized group, and loneliness only in the institutionalized group. Lastly, all changes persisted after the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: HRV biofeedback training was effective in improving symptoms of depression in older adults. Improvement of HRV and loneliness was dependent on the level of social interaction.

Sucrose-Sweetened Drinks Reduce the Physical Performance and Increase the Cardiovascular Risk in Physically Active Males.

INTRODUCTION: The intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has increased rapidly, but the effects of this habit on health and physical performance are unknown. This study assessed the effect of excessive SSB intake on biochemical, physical performance, and biochemical and cardiovascular parameters of physically active males. METHODS: Seventeen volunteers consumed a placebo drink (Pd; carbohydrate free) and an excessive SSB drink (eSSBd = Pd plus 300 g sucrose). In a blind randomized crossover study, the subjects were assigned to Pd or eSSBd groups for 15 days. After an interval of 7 days, subjects were reassigned to the other condition. RESULTS: After eSSBd intake, there was an increase in weight (69.34 ± 13.71 vs. 70.62 ± 14.06), body mass index (24.49 ± 4.01 vs. 24.97 ± 4.13), waist circumference (75.33 ± 11.22 vs. 76.79 ± 11.51), VLDL (19.54 ± 9.50 vs. 25.52 ± 11.18), triglycerides (78.94 ± 23.79 vs. 114.77 ± 43.65), and peak systolic blood pressure (178.57 ± 26.56 vs. 200.71 ± 24.64). The cardiorespiratory response to exercise (VO2max) (48.15 ± 10.42 vs. 40.98 ± 11.20), peak heart rate (186.64 ± 8.00 vs. 179.64 ± 6.28), total exercise time (15.02 ± 1.57 vs. 14.00 ± 2.18), and mechanical work (15.83 ± 4.53 vs. 13.68 ± 5.67) decreased after eSSBd intake (all values expressed in initial mean ± DP vs. final). The rates of perceived exertion were higher (1.300 vs.1.661 slope and -0.7186 vs. -1.118 y-intercept) after eSSBd intake. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that 15 days of eSSBd intake may negatively modulate biochemical parameters associated with cardiovascular risk. In addition, this overintake can impair the physical performance and cardiovascular responses to physical exercise.

Vagal Flexibility during Exercise: Impact of Training, Stress, Anthropometric Measures, and Gender.

We evaluated the effect of physical training, stress, anthropometric measures, and gender upon the reactivity and recovery of the heart rate variability (HRV) during a cardiorespiratory test. Professors (N = 54) were evaluated using the following: physical training: time, frequency, and length of physical exercise; resting heart rate (HR); maximum HR; and recovery HR; stress: stress symptoms, work stress, vital events, and perceived stress; anthropometric measures: body mass index, waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and fat percentage (FP); and HRV before, during, and after the test. The HRV decreased during and increased after the test. Increased recovery HR was associated with the decreased vagal output during the test, and decreased recovery HR was associated with the increased posttest vagal input. The higher the work control and stress symptoms of men and the higher the perceived stress for both genders, the lower the vagal output during the test. The lower stress symptom and work control of men and the lower work demand of women were associated with the posttest vagal increase. The increased WC and decreased WHR of men were associated with the lower vagal output during the test and the lower posttest vagal increase. The lower FP also was associated with the greater recovery.