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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday July 20 2017, @02:19PM   Printer-friendly
from the we-want-to-pump-you-up dept.

A new report from researchers at McMaster University in Canada offers hope for older men who wish to build physical strength — a nutritional supplement:

Whey protein supplements aren't just for gym buffs according to new research from McMaster University. When taken on a regular basis, a combination of these and other ingredients in a ready-to-drink formula have been found to greatly improve the physical strength of a growing cohort: senior citizens.

[...] The deterioration of muscle mass and strength that is a normal part of aging -known as sarcopenia -- can increase the risk for falls, metabolic disorders and the need for assisted living, say researchers.

"Older people who do little to prevent the progression of sarcopenia drift toward a state where they find activities of daily living, like rising from a chair or ascending stairs very difficult or maybe impossible," says lead scientist Stuart Phillips, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and member of McMaster's Institute for Research on Aging.

While a number of isolated nutritional ingredients have been shown to fight sarcopenia, this is the first time such ingredients -- which include whey protein, creatine, vitamin D, calcium and fish oil -- have been combined and tested for this purpose.

For the study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, the research team recruited two groups of men aged 70 and older. One group took a protein-based, multi-ingredient nutritional supplement for six weeks without an exercise regimen, while the other group took a placebo. The objective was to evaluate whether daily consumption would result in gains in strength and lean body mass.

Following those six weeks, subjects continued to take the supplement (and placebo) while also undertaking a 12-week progressive exercise training program consisting of resistance and high-intensity interval training.

[...] Most notable, the findings showed improvements in deteriorating muscle health and overall strength for participants both before and after the exercise regimen. In the first six weeks, the supplement resulted in 700 grams of gains in lean body mass -- the same amount of muscle these men would normally have lost in a year. And when combined with exercise twice weekly, participants noticed greater strength gains- especially when compared with their placebo taking counterparts.

Journal Reference:

Kirsten E. Bell, Tim Snijders, Michael Zulyniak, Dinesh Kumbhare, Gianni Parise, Adrian Chabowski, Stuart M. Phillips. A whey protein-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplement stimulates gains in lean body mass and strength in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial. PLOSONE, 2017; 12 (7): e0181387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181387


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  • (Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Friday July 21 2017, @02:32AM

    by Magic Oddball (3847) on Friday July 21 2017, @02:32AM (#542151) Journal

    My current schedule is 80 min. on Monday & Thursday evenings with my 67-year-old father — either just using a cardio bike straight through, or if my neck is behaving I'll do 30-40 min. cardio bike + 30-40 min. on weight machines. (I've got cervical scoliosis & spinal-canal stenosis, so muscle spasms, sharp 'arm fell asleep' tingling, etc. are a bit of a problem.)

    I actually look forward to cardio, as I spend the whole time reading & listening to music uninterrupted without feeling like I should be doing something more 'productive.'

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