FAU researchers aim to reverse effects of ageing
Study being launched in Nuremberg as part of Europe’s largest research project in geriatric medicine – participants aged 70 and over wanted
The dream of everlasting youth will probably remain a dream. Even now in the age of high-tech medicine, ageing seems to be inextricably linked with a decline in physical ability, frailty, a loss of muscle strength, and a susceptibility to diseases. However, researchers at FAU now aim to demonstrate that these effects of ageing can not only be stopped but can in fact be reversed to a degree – with targeted movement and the right diet. They are still looking for participants from the Nuremberg region aged 70 and over for their study.
This February, researchers at FAU’s Institute for Biomedicine of Ageing will begin working on Europe’s largest project in geriatric medicine. The SPRINT-T study (SPRINT-T stands for Sarcopenia and Physical fRailty IN older people: multi-componenT Treatment strategies) involves research groups in nine European countries and includes around 1500 senior citizens from across the continent. The aim of the study is to alter the limited mobility that many older people experience and help them to maintain their independence.
Senior citizens from the Nuremberg area aged 70 and over wanted
The FAU researchers are still looking for senior citizens from the Nuremberg area who experience increased difficulty getting up from chairs, leave the house less frequently, are less active, or become tired or out of breath more quickly during everyday tasks than before to participate in the study. Participants must be at least 70 years of age and still live in their own home. Whether or not they require help at home is unimportant.
The team led by PD Dr. Ellen Freiberger have developed two different programmes designed to combat some of the negative effects of ageing for the SPRINT-T study and aim to test how effective they are. In the first programme participants will undergo stamina, strength and balance training twice a week and receive individual consultation about their diet. In the second programme participants will be given presentations about age-related changes and learn strategies for adapting their behaviour. All participants will undergo regular health checks and performance tests over the course of the study.
‘We are confident that the participants will benefit from both programmes,’ Ellen Freiberger says. The FAU researchers have already shown in initial trials that the physical performance of older people can be maintained for a long time or even improved through a correctly adjusted diet and movement. ‘Muscle strength, sense of balance and walking pace improve, making everyday activities like climbing stairs, getting up from a chair and going shopping easier,’ says project leader Ellen Freiberger. ‘And knowledge of the ageing process is also an important resource that helps people to deal well with it.’
Senior citizens who would like to participate in the study or would like to receive further information can contact Dr. Ellen Freiberger by telephone on +49 911 530296163.
Further information:
Prof. Dr. Cornel Sieber
Phone: +49 911 530296150
cornel.sieber@fau.de
PD Dr. Ellen Freiberger
Phone: +49 911 530296150
ellen.freiberger@fau.de