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1 Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2 Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
3 Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
4 Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabiliation Sciences, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
5 Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
6 Internal Medicine, Wake Forest Universtiy School of Medicine, Section on Geriatrics, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
7 Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, USA
8 Laboratory of Epidemiology, Biometry and Demography, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
9 Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: akatsiar{at}grecc.umaryland.edu.
We examined the muscle fatigue characteristics in older men and women and determined whether these were related to the size, strength, or quality of muscle. A total of 1,512 men and women aged 70-79 years from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study participated in this study. Muscle cross sectional area and attenuation were determined with computed tomography. Skeletal muscle fatigue and strength (peak torque) of the knee extensors and flexors was measured using isokinetic dynamometry. Men were more fatigue resistant than women for both knee extension (Fatigue Index - 70.4±15.3 vs. 66.9±14.3%; p<0.05) and knee flexion (67.9±16.4 vs. 64.9±17.6%; p<0.05). Peak torque and muscle quality (specific torque) were higher in men than women for knee extension (99.6±28.2 vs. 63.0±16.8 N.m and 1.62±0.43 vs. 1.51±0.39 Nm.cm-2; both p<0.05) and for knee flexion (74.0±26.4 vs. 49.6±15.9 N.m and 2.47±1.29 vs. 2.22±0.78 Nm.cm-2; both p<0.05). Total work and power output was greater in men compared to women for both the quadriceps (1353±451 vs. 832±264 J and 87.7±33.5 vs. 53.3±19.2 W; both p<0.05) and the hamstrings (741±244 vs. 510±141 J and 35.4±16.0 vs. 23.7±10.2 W; both p<0.05). In both genders, the quadriceps was able to perform more work with greater power compared to the hamstrings. Those who were stronger actually had greater fatigue after adjusting for age, race, physical activity and total body fat. In conclusion, older men were more fatigue resistant than women although in both men and women greater fatigue was not related to muscle weakness.
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  J. L. Helbostad, S. Leirfall, R. Moe-Nilssen, and O. Sletvold Physical Fatigue Affects Gait Characteristics in Older Persons J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., September 1, 2007; 62(9): 1010 - 1015. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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