New Supplement Repairs, Rejuvenates Muscles in Older Adults Says Scientist

For the study, which was published today in the journal PLOS ONE, the research team recruited two groups of men aged 70 and older. One group took a protein-based, multi-ingredient nutritional supplement for six weeks without an exercise regimen, while the other group took a placebo. The objective was to evaluate whether daily consumption would result in gains in strength and lean body mass.

Following those six weeks, subjects continued to take the supplement (and placebo) while also undertaking a 12-week progressive exercise training program consisting of resistance and high-intensity interval training.

“We chose that combination of exercises to get a maximal benefit in terms of fitness and muscle strength” said Gianni Parise, scientific co-lead on the study. “I know many think older persons can’t do that type of exercise, but that’s simply untrue.”

“The results were more impressive than we expected,” says Kirsten Bell, a PhD student who worked on the study.

Most notable, the findings showed improvements in deteriorating muscle health and overall strength for participants both before and after the exercise regimen. In the first six weeks, the supplement resulted in 700 grams of gains in lean body mass – the same amount of muscle these men would normally have lost in a year. And when combined with exercise twice weekly, participants noticed greater strength gains- especially when compared with their placebo taking counterparts.

“Clearly, exercise is a key part of the greatly improved health profile of our subjects,” says Bell, “but we are very excited by the enhancements the supplement alone and in combination with exercise was able to give to our participants.”

The research, which was supported by the Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative within the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, comes at a time when demographic trends lean toward older Canadians as the largest percentage of our population. The authors hope that continued work will include older women and different populations that can benefit from a supplement aimed at improving muscle health.

Contacts and sources:
Michelle Donovan