Nutritional Supplementation during Resistance Training Improved Skeletal Muscle Mass in Community-Dwelling Frail Older Adults.
OBJECTIVE
Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, is highly prevalent in older adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the combination of resistance training and multinutrients supplementation (including vitamin D and protein) on muscle mass and physical performance in frail older adults.


METHODS
This trial was conducted in Japanese frail older adults (n=77), which underwent a standardized protocol of a 3-month physical exercise intervention. The sample population was divided into two groups, according to the adoption (S/Ex: n = 38) or not (Ex: n = 39) of the additional multinutrient supplementation. The outcome measures of interest for the present analyses were the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and several physical performance tests.


RESULTS
Participants in S/Ex group had significant improvements for the outcome measures, including SMI and maximum walking time (P<0.05), compared to those in Ex group. The prevalence of sarcopenia decreased from 65.7% to 42.9% in S/Ex group, while that in Ex group remained unchanged (68.6% to 68.6%) (relative risk = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.03-2.49).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that the combination of resistance training and multinutritional supplementation may be more effective at improving muscle mass and walking speed than an intervention only based on resistance training.
Minoru Yamada, Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. Tel.: +81-75-751-3964, Fax: +81-75-751-3909 , E-mail address: yamada@hs.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
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M
Yamada
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Arai
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Yoshimura
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Kajiwara
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Sonoda
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Nishiguchi
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Aoyama