Resistance exercise and the Mediterranean diet are complementary, evidence-based approaches to improving physical and mental health throughout all stages of life. For older adults, maintain flexibility, muscle strength, balance and posture, reducing the risk of falls and injuries; They relieve chronic pain, improve sleep quality, and reduce stress and anxiety. For young people, they improve concentration, attention and memory, reduce stress and anxiety, promote a positive body image and increase self-esteem. Overall benefits include promoting the mind-body connection, facilitating healthy aging, and being accessible and adaptable to various individual and socioeconomic needs. The main components of the Mediterranean diet are: high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fish and olive oil; moderate in dairy and red wine; and low in red meat and processed products. Benefits for older adults include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, decreasing chronic diseases and pro-inflammatory factors, and preventing obesity and cognitive decline. The overall impact improves bone and cardiovascular health, and strengthens the immune system. The combination of resistance exercise and a Mediterranean diet offers a comprehensive approach to improving health and well-being throughout life, promoting physical and mental health, facilitating active and healthy aging, and being accessible and beneficial for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
108
Resistance training. Subjects assigned to the experimental group participated in resistance program twice a week (on Tuesdays and Thursdays) for a period of 12 weeks, totaling 24 sessions of 60 minutes each. Each session during this time was divided into three clearly differentiated parts: i) 5-minute warm-up comprised of a series of gentle, low-intensity exercises designed to gradually prepare the muscles and joints of older adults for the main exercise. Mediterranean Diet. In addition to the resistance intervention, the experimental group received a Mediterranean diet protocol based on the study by Ismail et al. \[34\] with the following meal plan: i) carbohydrates constituted 50% of daily intake; ii) fats repre-sented 35%; and iii) proteins accounted for 15%.
Agustín Aibar Almazán
Jaén, Spain
Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet
This was measured using the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Questionnaire (MEDAS) questionnaire, developed by the Prevention with Mediterranean Diet (PREDIMED) researchers. The questionnaire consists of 12 queries regarding how often various foods are eaten and two additional questions concerning typical eating habits in Spain \[35\]. Each question could be answered with a score of either zero or one. The total possible score ranged from 0 to 14, with a total of 9 or higher signifying sufficient compliance with the Mediterranean diet.
Time frame: Up to twelve weeks
Anxiety and depression
To evaluate anxiety and depression levels, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used \[36,37\]. This instrument is frequently used in populations of older adults who are not institutionalized \[38\] and includes 14 questions, divided equally between anxiety (even questions) and depression (even questions). Items are scored on a scale of 0 to 3, resulting in a total score range of 0 to 21 for both anxiety and depression, with a higher number indicating a greater presence of symptoms. Sleep quality
Time frame: Up to twelve weeks
Sleep quality
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) \[39,40\], a widely recognized tool for the assessment of sleep quality, was the questionnaire selected for this task. The PSQI includes 19 self-report items and 5 additional items that must be completed by the participant's bed partner or roommate (the latter are used only to obtain clinical data). From these items, a global score is calculated and seven dimensions or areas are evaluated: sleep quality; time to fall asleep; sleep duration; sleep efficiency; problems during sleep; consumption of sleep medication; and daytime functioning problems. The total score on the PSQI ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poor sleep quality.
Time frame: Up to twelve weeks
Perceived stress
The measurement of perceived stress was carried out using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) \[41\] in its version for the Spanish language \[42\], an instrument composed of 14 questions that determines the degree of stress felt in the last month. This questionnaire uses a response system based on a five-point scale (0 = never, 1 = almost never, 2 = occasionally, 3 = frequently, 4 = very frequently). To calculate the total score on the PSS, the response values for items 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 13 are reversed (so that 0 becomes 4, 1 becomes 3, etc.) and Then all the items are added. The score ranges from 0-56, with a higher score on the scale indicating a higher level of perceived stress.
Time frame: Up to twelve weeks
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