Hypoxic conditioning has been proposed as a new tool to mitigate the sarcopenia and enhance health-related function, but decrements in standing balance have been observed during hypoxia exposure. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a hypoxic conditioning training on functional fitness, balance and fear of falling in healthy older adults. A total of 54 healthy older adults (aged 65–75 years), who voluntarily participated in the study, were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (CON), the normoxia training group (NT) that performed strength training in normoxia, and the hypoxia training group (HT) that trained under moderate hypoxic conditions at a simulated altitude of 2500 m asl. The training programme that was performed during 24 weeks was similar in both experimental groups and consisted of a full-body workout with elastic bands and kettlebells (three sets × 12–15 reps). The Senior Fitness Test (SFT), the Single Leg Stance test (SLS) and the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) were assessed before and after the intervention. Results showed that after training, either in normoxia or in hypoxia, the participants increased upper and lower body strength, and the aerobic endurance, and decreased the fear of falling. The moderate hypoxic conditioning seems to be a useful tool to increase the functional capacity in healthy older adults without observing a decline in balance. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04281264 . Registered February 9, 2019-Retrospectively registered.

中文翻译：

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低氧调节对健康老年人功能健康、平衡和跌倒恐惧的影响：一项随机对照试验

已经提出低氧调节作为减轻肌肉减少症和增强健康相关功能的新工具，但在低氧暴露期间观察到站立平衡的下降。该研究的目的是评估低氧调节训练对健康老年人的功能健康、平衡和跌倒恐惧的影响。共有 54 名自愿参加研究的健康老年人（年龄 65-75 岁）随机分为三组：对照组（CON）、常氧训练组（NT）在常氧环境下进行力量训练，以及在模拟海拔 2500 m asl 的中等低氧条件下训练的低氧训练组 (HT)。两个实验组在 24 周内进行的训练计划相似，包括使用弹力带和壶铃进行的全身锻炼（三组 × 12-15 次）。在干预前后评估了高级体能测试 (SFT)、单腿站立测试 (SLS) 和国际短跌倒效能量表 (FES-I)。结果表明，无论是常氧还是缺氧训练后，参与者的上肢和下肢力量、有氧耐力都得到了增强，对跌倒的恐惧感降低了。适度的低氧调节似乎是一种有用的工具，可以在不观察平衡下降的情况下增加健康老年人的功能能力。ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04281264。2019 年 2 月 9 日注册 - 追溯注册。