Resistance Exercise Effect on Physical Performance and Functional Status in Sarcopenic Older Women

Aging is characterized by a progressive loss of multiple physical and cognitive abilities. From these changes, the most important one is the loss of muscle mass, which has been called "sarcopenia". Resistance exercise is a therapeutic approach for sarcopenia, nevertheless there is no universal consensus. Therefore, this research is interested in determining the effect of a resistance exercise program on physical performance and/or functional status in sarcopenic older women. The main study hypothesis is that a program of resistance exercise will improve physical performance and functional status in sarcopenic older women compared against general recommendations.

This is a single-blind, controlled clinical trial, including women> 70 years, living in the community with sarcopenia. Those who agree to participate, will be randomly assigned to one of the following groups:

1. Resistance Exercise Group
2. General Recommendations Group (control) The study will last 24 weeks, with 4 measurements performed at baseline, week 6, 12 and 24. Multilevel models (random effects) will be constructed for the comparison between the two groups. Tests will be conducted with a P=0.05 and confidence intervals at 95%. This protocol has been approved by the local ethics committee.