title: Protein Intake and Muscle Health in Old Age: From Biological Plausibility to Clinical Evidence.
abstract: The provision of sufficient amounts of dietary proteins is central to muscle health as it ensures the supply of essential amino acids and stimulates protein synthesis. Older persons, in particular, are at high risk of insufficient protein ingestion. Furthermore, the current recommended dietary allowance for protein (0.8 g/kg/day) might be inadequate for maintaining muscle health in older adults, probably as a consequence of "anabolic resistance" in aged muscle. Older individuals therefore need to ingest a greater quantity of protein to maintain muscle function. The quality of protein ingested is also essential to promoting muscle health. Given the role of leucine as the master dietary regulator of muscle protein turnover, the ingestion of protein sources enriched with this essential amino acid, or its metabolite β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate, is thought to offer the greatest benefit in terms of preservation of muscle mass and function in old age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. francesco.landi@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Landi
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. riccardo.calvani@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calvani
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. matteo.tosato@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tosato
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. annamariamartone@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Martone
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. eleort@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ortolani
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. giulia.savera@libero.it.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Savera
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. manud1983@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Angelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. alexsisto@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sisto
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, Rome 00168, Italy. emarzetti@live.com.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marzetti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007930:Leucine; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects*; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009752:Nutritional Status
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D007930:Leucine
keywords: amino acid; anorexia; frailty; leucine; malnutrition; sarcopenia; supplementation