Targeting bone & muscle for healthy ageing: The Wellderly study

The Wellderly study will improve knowledge on how high-intensity interval training (HIIT) effects hormones involved in bone, muscle and fat interaction. There is increased evidence that bone, muscle and fat are communicating with each other, but these “communication” lines are not fully clear. It is also not clear how exercise affects the interaction between those tissues. Understanding this may result in better approaches to improving function and health as we age.

All participants will undertake fitness and health testing. They will then be randomised to either exercise training (three sessions of HIIT per week for four weeks) or control (usual activities for four weeks). Participants in the control group are offered exercise training after completing the study as a courtesy.

Participants will undergo the following assessments free of charge:

• Body composition scan (bone and lean mass) using DXA
• Blood and urine sampling
• Optional muscle and fat sampling before and after exercise
• Exercise testing
• Lifestyle questionnaires focusing on nutrition, mood and physical activity
• Measure of vascular function