Vascular Endhothelial Growth Factor levels in medium-intensity versus low-intensity exercise with blood flow restriction in elderly women

Introduction and Objective: The decrease in muscle mass in the elderly occurs due to molecular changes related to regeneration and degeneration of muscle proteins. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor has a role in angiogenesis and increasing muscle mass through increasing the number and function of satellite cells. Elderly people have many limitations in strengthening exercises for increasing muscle mass, especially in safety and tolerance. Low-intensity strengthening exercise combined with blood flow restriction can be an alternative to increase muscle strength to the same extent as high-intensity strengthening exercise. This research aims to compare vascular endothelial growth factor levels between medium-intensity strengthening exercise and low-intensity strengthening exercise with blood flow restriction in elderly women. Methods: Twenty-two participants were trained for six weeks and underwent assessment at baseline, immediate after exercise, and at the end of training period. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: moderate intensity strengthening group (≥40-60% one-repetition maximum) and low intensity strengthening group (20-30% one-repetition maximum) with blood flow restriction using a cuff applied on the upper thigh at a restrictive pressure of 50 millimeters of mercury or 40% arterial occlusion pressure. Results and Conclusions: The low-intensity group showed significant acute increases in vascular endothelial growth factor levels, but no chronic effects were observed. The findings suggest that low-intensity strengthening exercises with blood flow restriction can effectively promote an acute increase in vascular endothelial growth factor levels in elderly women.