Brief, Weekly Magnetic Muscle Therapy Improves Mobility and Lean Body Mass in Older Adults

Drs. Alfredo Franco-Obregón and Brian H. Kennedy from the National University of Singapore detail a research paper they co-authored that was published by Aging (Aging-US) in Volume 15, Issue 6, entitled, “Brief, weekly magnetic muscle therapy improves mobility and lean body mass in older adults: a Southeast Asia community case study.” DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204597 Corresponding authors - Alfredo Franco-Obregón - suraf@nus.edu.sg, and Yee Kit Tai - surtaiyk@nus.edu.sg Abstract Brief (10 min) weekly exposure to low energy pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) has been shown to improve human muscle mitochondrial bioenergetics and attenuate systemic lipotoxicity following anterior cruciate ligament surgical reconstruction. Here we present data generated from 101 participants, 62% female, aged 38–91 years, recruited from the QuantumTx Demo Centre in Singapore, wherein 87% of participants (n = 88) presented with pre-existing mobility dysfunction and 13% (n = 13) were healthy volunteers. Participants were recruited if: (i) not pregnant; (ii) above 35 years of age and; (iii) without surgical implants. All participants completed mobility testing, pre- and post- PEMF intervention for 12 weeks, whereas bioelectrical impedance analysis was conducted in a subgroup of 42 and 33 participants at weeks 4 and 8, respectively. Weekly PEMF exposure was associated with significant improvements in mobility (Timed Up and Go, 5 times Sit-to-Stand, and 4m Normal Gait Speed) and body composition (increased skeletal muscle mass and reduced total and visceral fat mass), particularly in the older participants. Perception of pain was also significantly reduced. PEMF therapy may provide a manner to counteract age-associated mobility and metabolic disruptions and merits future investigation in randomized controlled trials to elucidate its clinical benefits in the frail and older adult populations. Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://aging.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Faging.204597 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Aging - https://www.aging-us.com/subscribe-to-toc-alerts Keywords - aging, sarcopenia, intra-abdominal fat, frailty, muscle weakness, type 2 diabetes mellitus About Aging-US Launched in 2009, Aging-US publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging-US go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways. Please visit our website at https://www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us: SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/Aging-Us Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AgingUS/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/AgingJrnl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agingjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@AgingJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/AgingUS/ Media Contact 18009220957 MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM