Energetics and clinical factors for the time required to walk 400 m: The Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging ( SOMMA )
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Abstract
Background: Walking slows with aging often leading to mobility disability. Mitochondrial energetics has been found to be associated with gait speed over short distances. Additionally, walking is a complex activity but few clinical factors that may be associated with walk time have been studied. Methods: We examined 879 participants ≥70 years and measured the time to walk 400 m. We tested the hypothesis that decreased mitochondrial energetics by respirometry in muscle biopsies and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the thigh and is associated with longer time to walk 400 m. We also used cardiopulmonary exercise testing to assess the energetic costs of walking: maximum oxygen consumption (VO 2 peak) and energy cost–capacity (the ratio of VO 2 , at a slow speed to VO 2 peak). In addition, we tested the hypothesis that selected clinical factors would also be associated with 400‐m walk time. Results: Lower Max OXPHOS was associated with longer walk time, and the association was explained by the energetic costs of walking, leg power, and weight. Additionally, a multivariate model revealed that longer walk time was also significantly associated with lower VO 2 peak, greater cost–capacity ratio, weaker leg power, heavier weight, hip and knee stiffness, peripheral neuropathy, greater perceived exertion while walking slowly, greater physical fatigability, less moderate‐to‐vigorous exercise, less sedentary time, and anemia. Significant associations between age, sex, muscle mass, and peripheral artery disease with 400‐m walk time were explained by other clinical and physiologic factors. Conclusions: Lower mitochondrial energetics is associated with needing more time to walk 400 m. This supports the value of developing interventions to improve mitochondrial energetics. Additionally, doing more moderate‐to‐vigorous exercise, increasing leg power, reducing weight, treating hip and knee stiffness, and screening for and treating anemia may reduce the time required to walk 400 m and reduce the risk of mobility disability.
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Loss of mitochondrial energetics in sub-optimal aging contributes to slower walking speed, fatigability, multimorbidity, frailty and sarcopenia.
“recent studies have shown that loss of mitochondrial energetics in sub-optimal aging contributes to slower walking speed [[355], [356], [357], [358]], fatigability [359], multimorbidity [360], frailty [361] and sarcopenia [345,362].”
From Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR) (2025) · cites this paper as [355]
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- Authors
- Cummings, S. R., Lui, L., Glynn, N. W., Mau, T., Cawthon, P. M., Kritchevsky, S. B., Coen, P. M., Goodpaster, B., Marcinek, D. J., Hepple, R. T., Patel, S., & Newman, A. B.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- California Pacific Medical Center (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences (US)
- AdventHealth Orlando (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- University of Florida Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cummings, Steven R.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2024-01-19
- Volume
- 72
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1035-1047
- ISSN
- 0002-8614 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-5415
- PMC
- PMC13037596
- OpenAlex
- W4391053537
- Cited by
- 12
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6
- FWCI
- 5.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (publishedVersion)
- medRxiv (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (AG059416, P30AG021332, P30AG024827)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1 0TR001)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Frailty in Older Adults
- Keywords
- mitochondrial bioenergetics, oxidative phosphorylation, walking speed, mobility impairment, older adults, energy cost of walking, peak oxygen uptake, leg power, peripheral neuropathy, anemia, moderate-to-vigorous exercise, sedentary time, peripheral arterial disease, muscle mass
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