Abstract
Increased protein intake has been suggested as an effective strategy to treat age-related loss of muscle mass and function, but the amount of protein required to improve muscle and function without exercise in older adults remains unclear. Thus, this secondary data analysis aimed to assess what amount of protein from habitual protein intake was positively associated with changes in muscle mass and gait speed in older women and men. Ninety-six community-dwelling older adults consumed 0.8, 1.2, or 1.5 g/kg/day of protein and maintained their usual physical activity for 12 weeks. Increased protein intake of >0.54 g/kg/day was positively associated with changes in appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM)/weight (B = 0.591, p = 0.026), ASM/body mass index (B = 0.615, p = 0.023), and ASM:fat ratio (B = 0.509, p = 0.030) in older men. However, change in protein intake was not associated with change in muscle mass in older women. Additionally, change in protein intake was not associated with change in gait speed in older women and men. The present study suggested that an increased absolute protein amount of >0.54 g/kg/day from habitual protein intake was positively associated with change in muscle mass in older men.
Highlights
Sarcopenia, a common geriatric syndrome characterized by abnormal loss of muscle mass and function, is associated with a high risk for physical disability, functional dependence, poor quality of life, and death [1]
There were no significant differences in age, body mass index (BMI), appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), gait speed, living alone, smoking, alcohol drinking, comorbidity, cognitive impairment, activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability, and frailty according to tertiles of change in protein intake in total older adults, women, and men, respectively
Ten Haaf et al [27] showed that protein supplementation of 0.37 g/kg/day improved muscle mass compared with isocaloric placebo in older adults who were training for walking exercise
Summary
Sarcopenia, a common geriatric syndrome characterized by abnormal loss of muscle mass and function, is associated with a high risk for physical disability, functional dependence, poor quality of life, and death [1]. Korea is classified as one of the most rapidly aging countries worldwide [2], and prevalence of sarcopenia has been reported to be 20.8% among Korean elderly as defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People [3]. Sarcopenia is a major cause of frailty, a state of vulnerability to adverse outcomes characterized by unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, slowness, low physical activity, and weakness [4]. Gait speed was most sensitive in predicting the onset of functional dependence in older adults [5]. Previous studies reported that approximately 60% of frail older people had sarcopenia, and mortality was higher in frail older people with sarcopenia than in those without sarcopenia [6,7].
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