title: Effects of exercise and tea catechins on muscle mass, strength and walking ability in community-dwelling elderly Japanese sarcopenic women: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of exercise and/or tea catechin supplementation on muscle mass, strength and walking ability in elderly Japanese women with sarcopenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 128 women aged over 75 years were defined as sarcopenic and randomly assigned into four groups: exercise and tea catechin supplementation (n = 32), exercise (n = 32), tea catechin supplementation (n = 32) or health education (n = 32). The exercise group attended a 60-min comprehensive training program twice a week and the tea catechin supplementation group ingested 350 mL of a tea beverage fortified with catechin daily for 3 months. Body composition was determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Interview data and functional fitness measurements, such as muscle strength, balance and walking ability, were collected at baseline and after the 3-month intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant group × time interactions observed in timed up & go (P < 0.001), usual walking speed (P = 0.007) and maximum walking speed (P < 0.001). The exercise + catechin group showed a significant effect (odds ratio 3.61, 95% confidence interval 1.05-13.66) for changes in the combined variables of leg muscle mass and usual walking speed compared with the health education group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of exercise and tea catechin supplementation had a beneficial effect on physical function measured by walking ability and muscle mass.
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Promoting Independence of the Elderly, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. kimhk@tmig.or.jp
authors.forename: Hunkyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Hideyo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Narumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Miji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Motoki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sudo
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tokimitsu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D002392:Catechin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D017097:Electric Impedance; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D055070:Resistance Training; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D013662:Tea; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D013662:Tea; D002392:Catechin