Statins and dietary and serum cholesterol are associated with increased lean mass following resistance training.
BACKGROUND
Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) is a prevalent condition associated with disability and mortality. Exercise and optimal nutrition are interventions to prevent and treat sarcopenia, yet little is known, outside of protein, of the effect of common nutrition recommendations and medication use on exercise-related muscle gain.


METHODS
Forty-nine community-dwelling, 60- to 69-year-old men and women completed 2 weeks of nutrition education (American Dietetic Association recommendations) followed by 12 weeks of high intensity resistance exercise training (RET) with postexercise protein supplementation and 3x/wk dietary logs.


RESULTS
We observed a dose-response relationship between dietary cholesterol (from food logs) and gains in lean mass that was not affected by variability in protein intake. Serum cholesterol and the serum cholesterol lowering agent statin were also independently associated with greater increases in lean mass. Dietary cholesterol was not associated with serum cholesterol or the significant reduction in blood pressure observed, but trends were observed for altered plasma C-reactive protein.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that dietary and serum cholesterol contribute to the skeletal muscles' response to RET in this generally healthy older population and that some statins may improve this response.
Riechman
Steven E
SE
Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station TX, 77843, USA. sriechman@hlkn.tamu.edu
Andrews
Ryan D
RD
Maclean
David A
DA
Sheather
Simon
S
D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D010353:Patient Education as Topic
D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D002784:Cholesterol