The impact of six months strength training, nutritional supplementation or cognitive training on DNA damage in institutionalised elderly

Aging and its aligned loss of muscle mass are associated with higher levels of DNA damage and deteriorated antioxidant defence. To improve the body’s overall resistance against DNA damage, maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is desirable, especially in the elderly. As people age, many have to change their residence from home living to an institution, which is often accompanied by malnutrition, depression and inactivity. The current study aimed at investigating the effect of a 6-month progressive resistance training (RT), with or without protein and vitamin supplementation (RTS), or cognitive training (CT), on DNA strand breaks in 105 Austrian institutionalised women and men (65– 98 years). DNA damage was detected by performing the single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay. Physical fitness was assessed using the chair rise, the 6-min-walking and the handgrip strength test. In addition, antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and catalase (CAT) were analysed. Basal DNA damage (lysis) increased significantly after 3 months of intervention in the RT group (T1 − T2 + 20%, P = 0.001) and the RTS group (T1 − T2 + 17%, P = 0.002) and showed a similar tendency in the CT group (T1 − T2 + 21%, P = 0.059). %DNA in tail decreased in cells exposed to H 2 O 2 significantly in the RT (T1 − T2 − 24%, P = 0.030; T1 − T3 − 18%, P = 0.019) and CT (T1 − T2 − 21%, P = 0.004; T1 − T3 − 13%, P = 0.038) groups. Only RT and RTS groups showed significant differences overtime in enzyme activity (RT + 22% CAT-activity T1 − T3, P = 0.013; RTS + 6% SOD-activity T2 − T3, P = 0.005). Contrary to the time effects, no difference between groups was detected for any parameter at any time point. Our results suggest that both CT and RT improve resistance against H 2 O 2 induced DNA damage and that a nutritional supplement has no further protective effect in institutionalised elderly.