Paper
Nutritional Interventions in Age-related Loss of Muscle Function
- Authors:
- E. Paul Cherniack; Heather F. Lee
- Abstract
- Purpose: To ascertain from the medical literature what evidence exists on the effect of nutritional interventions to alleviate the age-related loss of muscle strength and function (“dynapenia”) which is not the same as preventing loss of muscle mass. Methods: A search of relevant studies was conducted using the PubMed search engine, using search terms such as “muscle”, “strength”, and “aging”. Further manuscripts were obtained from the reference lists of the initial studies obtained. Results: Eighty-one studies were obtained for protein, whey, leucine, β-Hydroxy β-methylbutyric acid, creatine, vitamin D, and combination substances. The quality of evidence for the effect of each on dynapenia, however, is weak. Conclusions and innovation: Individually, selective provision of protein, specific amino acids (especially leucine, and its metabolite β-Hydroxy β-methylbutyric acid), creatine, and vitamin D, have consistently been shown to create small but significant gains in select parameters of muscle strength, when administered to elderly patients, often accompanied by exercise. Most studies investigated only a limited number of parameters, and for short duration. The timing and duration of nutritional interventions, including its relationship to exercise, to maximize efficacy, still needs to be clarified.
- Keywords
- Dynapenia; Frailty; Aging; Nutrition
- StartPage
- 18
- EndPage
- 25
- Doi
- 10.18005/PTHP0501003