Exercise promotes IL-6 release from legs in older men with minor response to unilateral immobilization

Physical inactivity is a major contributor to low-grade systemic inflammation. Most of the studies characterizing interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) release from exercising legs have been done in young, healthy men, but studies on inactivity in older people are lacking. The impact of 14 days of one-leg immobilization (IM) on IL-6 and TNF-α release during exercise in comparison to the contralateral control (CON) leg was investigated. Fifteen healthy men (age 68.1 ± 1.1 year (mean ± SEM); BMI 27.0 ± 0.4 kg·m(2); VO2max 33.3 ± 1.6 ml·kg(‒1)·min(‒1)) performed 45 min of two-leg dynamic knee extensor exercise at 19.5 ± 0.9 W. Arterial and femoral venous blood samples from …