The role of nutrition in skeletal muscle ageing and sarcopenia.

We are pleased to announce the recent publication of our narrative review ‘Nutrition in the prevention and treatment of skeletal muscle ageing and sarcopenia: a single nutrient, a whole food, and a whole diet approach’ in the Proceedings of Nutrition Society. This review follows a talk by Dr Antoneta Granic presented at the Nutrition Society Winter Conference in December 2023 in London.

Nutrition research considers nutrition as an important lifestyle factor for healthy muscle and sarcopenia (a loss of muscle strength, mass, and function). However, the potential of nutrition to prevent and treat sarcopenia is still being evaluated. To understand the role of nutrition in muscle health and sarcopenia, three approaches have been used in research: a single nutrient (e.g., protein), a whole food (e.g., fruits and vegetables), and a whole diet approach (e.g., Mediterranean diet). In this paper we summarised evidence from the most recent reviews of observational studies of ageing and interventions with nutrition (in trials with or without exercise) in adults aged 50 years and over, that used these three approaches.

We found some evidence that supplementing a healthy diet with 0.8 grams or more of protein per kilogram body weight daily, in combination with exercise training, improves muscle mass in healthy older adults and those diagnosed with sarcopenia. Less clear is whether additional protein improves muscle strength and physical performance such as walking speed. In observational studies of ageing, higher consumption of fruits and vegetables was linked to better physical performance but not to improved muscle mass. Similarly, following a healthy, high-quality diet such as the Mediterranean diet resulted in better muscle function in observational studies, but no evidence of this exists to date from interventional trials. Lastly, we also discussed how the current state of knowledge may inform the further development of preventions and interventions for optimal muscle ageing.

Citation

Granic A, Sayer AA, Cooper R, Robinson SM. Nutrition in the prevention and treatment of skeletal muscle ageing and sarcopenia: a single nutrient, a whole food and a whole diet approach. Proc Nutr Soc. Published online October 17, 2024. doi:10.1017/S0029665124007432

Last modified: Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:02:44 GMT