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Purpose: This study aimed to identify the association between a specific sports type and exercise group participation and longitudinal changes in sociopsychological health among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Three years of data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study were used, comprising a total of 33,746 men and 36,799 women age ≥65 yr. To determine the relationship between 20 types of sports and exercise group participation in 2016 (baseline) and changes in depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15)), self-rated health (4-point scale), subjective well-being (11-point scale), and frequency of laughter (days per month) from 2016 to 2019, we performed linear regression analyses with conducting a multivariate adjustment for potential confounders using an inverse probability weighting method. Results: The mean changes over 3 yr were +0.32 and +0.28 in GDS-15, −0.06 and −0.05 in self-rated health, −0.08 and −0.06 in subjective well-being, and −1.21 and −1.19 in frequency of laughter, in men and women, respectively. Men playing golf in a group were more likely to suppress an increase in the GDS-15 (B = −0.11, 95% confidence interval, −0.18 to −0.05) and decreases in self-rated health (0.04, 0.02 to 0.06), subjective well-being (0.07, 0.02 to 0.12), and frequency of laughter (0.45, 0.11 to 0.80). Women participating in walking, weight exercises, and hiking groups were more likely to prevent an increase in the GDS-15 (−0.12, −0.19 to −0.04; −0.09, −0.18 to −0.01; and −0.16, −0.30 to −0.03, respectively) and decreases in self-rated health (0.03, 0.01 to 0.05; 0.03, 0.01 to 0.06; and 0.08, 0.04 to 0.12, respectively). Conclusions: Golf in older men and walking, weight exercises, and hiking in older women could be recommended as an effective program for promoting sociopsychological health among older adults in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The combined treatment effects of nutritional supplementation and exercise on muscle quality (MQ) remain unexamined in individuals at risk for sarcopenia. This secondary analysis aimed to test whether β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation enhances the effects of resistance training (RT) on MQ in older women with low muscle mass. Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-by-two factorial design trial was conducted at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology. Women age 65–79 yr with a skeletal muscle mass index of <5.7 kg·m−2 were randomly allocated to one of four arms (RT + HMB, RT + placebo, education + HMB, and education + placebo). Participants attended supervised RT sessions twice weekly or education programs every 2 wk and were provided calcium-HMB (1500 mg) or placebo supplements once daily for 12 wk. The main outcomes were changes in functional MQ, assessed by knee extension strength per quadriceps thickness, and compositional MQ, assessed by the echo intensity of the rectus femoris muscle. Results: Overall, 156 and 149 participants completed baseline and follow-up assessments, respectively. Two-factorial analysis of variance showed no significant interaction of HMB supplementation with RT in terms of functional or compositional MQ. Main-effects analyses revealed that the decline in functional MQ of the group performing RT was smaller by 0.71 N·mm−1 (95% confidence interval, 0.11–1.31) compared with that in the education group. No significant main effects of RT or HMB supplementation on compositional MQ were observed. Conclusions: HMB supplementation did not enhance the treatment effects of RT for either MQ parameter; however, RT reduced the decline in functional MQ. Thus, adding HMB supplementation to RT is not significantly useful for improving MQ in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]