Lower Physical Performance Correlates with Some Inflammation Markers
Researchers here report on a study showing that lower physical performance in old age correlates with only one of a small panel of selected blood markers of inflammation. It is expected that a greater burden of chronic inflammation will cause a more rapid decline in later life, including the loss of strength and resilience leading into frailty. Inflammation and its interaction with tissue function is sufficiently complex a topic, and sufficiently varied from individual to individual, that we might expect to see mixed results like these, however.
Maintenance of physical performance is essential for achievement of healthy aging. A few studies have explored the association between inflammatory markers and physical performance in older adults with inconclusive results. Our aim was to analyze the association of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin-10 (IL-10), and C-reactive protein (CRP) with physical performance in a sample of older adults in rural settings of Mexico. Our study comprised 307 community-dwelling older men and women who participated in the third wave of the Rural Frailty Study.
In comparison with the normal physical performance group, low physical performance individuals mainly were female, older, more illiterate, more hypertensive, fewer smokers, and had higher CRP levels. The logistic model results showed a significant association between the 3rd tertile of CRP and low physical performance (odds ratio = 2.23). IL-10 and TNF-α levels did not show a significant association. The results of this study were thus mixed, with a significant association of physical performance with higher CRP levels but nonsignificant with IL-10 and TNF-α. Further studies with improved designs are needed by incorporating a broader set of inflammatory markers.
I think there is a chicken-and-egg causality issue that needs to be unwound. Re: The latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. It didn't help that this study didn't measure, or present here, BMI.