Targeting Metabolic Health and Physical Fitness in Women Aged Over 80: Effects of 24-Week Low-Intensity Aerobic and Resistance Exercise

Background: Super-aged women (aged ≥80 years) face heightened risks of metabolic dysregulation, sarcopenia, and functional decline. However, few studies have evaluated whether low-intensity exercise interventions can elicit clinically meaningful improvements in this vulnerable group. Objective: To investigate the effects of 24 weeks of low-intensity aerobic and resistance training on metabolic biomarkers and physical fitness in super-aged women, and to examine the relationship between metabolic and functional adaptations. Methods: Seventy-one community-dwelling women aged ≥80 were assigned to aerobic exercise (AEG, n = 25), resistance exercise (REG, n = 24), or control group (CG, n = 22). Participants in AEG and REG engaged in structured low-intensity training three times weekly for 24 weeks. Pre-post measurements included serum adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), fasting glucose, and HOMA-IR, along with assessments of grip strength, chair stand, arm curl, and 2-minute step test. To assess within-group changes before and after the intervention, paired t-tests were performed. Pearson correlation analyses were conducted between metabolic and physical variables. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to evaluate group × time interaction effects. Post hoc analyses were conducted using Sheffé -tests, and the level of statistical significance was set at α = 0.05 Results: Adiponectin levels increased significantly in both AEG (Δ +26.2%, p = .001) and REG (Δ +24.0%, p = .001), with a significant group × time interaction ( p = .004). CRP decreased significantly in both groups, while improvements in HOMA-IR and glucose were observed only in REG (Δ –26.7% and –21.3%, respectively). REG also achieved the largest gains in grip strength (Δ +34.7%), chair stand (Δ +79.8%), and aerobic capacity (Δ +83.9%). Reductions in HOMA-IR correlated with improvements in grip strength, arm curl, and step test performance ( p < .05), reinforcing the interconnection between metabolic and functional health. Conclusions: Low-intensity aerobic and resistance training produced substantial improvements in metabolic regulation and physical function among super-aged women. These findings support the use of simple, scalable interventions to promote healthy aging, preserve independence, and reduce frailty in the oldest-old population.