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Fitness and Parasympathetic Tone Associated with Lower CRP in Older Adults

Exercise lowers C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels, but the mechanism(s) of this effect is unknown. Exercise can reduce body fat and increase parasympathetic tone (PST), both of which may reduce CRP. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential role of fitness, fatness and HRR on hs‐CRP (mg/L) levels in 85 sedentary, independently living older adults (70.4 ± 0.56 [sem] years) using baseline data from the Immune Function Intervention Trial. Exclusion criteria included: corticosteroid use, inflammatory disease, recent illness or vaccination, and smoking. Fitness was assessed using VO2 max testing, body fat using Dual‐Energy X‐Ray Absorptiometry (DXA), PST by the difference between maximal heart rate and 1 min heart rate recovery (HRR), and hs‐CRP via ELISA. Predictors of CRP were determined using linear regression analyses. Results: Mean hs‐CRP levels were 3.47 ± 0.31mg/L placing this group in a high‐risk category. After adjusting for the effects of body fat, ?‐blocker use, statin use, and aspirin use, fitness (beta=‐.287;p=0.027) and HRR (beta=‐.183; p=0.075) were independent predictors of hs‐CRP. Conclusion: In this population of older adults, fitness and HRR were associated with lower levels of circulating CRP. These results suggest that exercise training may be an effective means of lowering the systemic inflammation that accompanies normal aging. The mechanism appears to be independent of fat loss.