Dietary Protein Considerations to Support Active Aging
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REVIEW ARTICLE
Dietary Protein Considerations to Support Active Aging Benjamin T. Wall • Naomi M. Cermak Luc J. C. van Loon
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Ó The Author(s) 2014. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract Given our rapidly aging world-wide population, the loss of skeletal muscle mass with healthy aging (sarcopenia) represents an important societal and public health concern. Maintaining or adopting an active lifestyle alleviates age-related muscle loss to a certain extent. Over time, even small losses of muscle tissue can hinder the ability to maintain an active lifestyle and, as such, contribute to the development of frailty and metabolic disease. Considerable research focus has addressed the application of dietary protein supplementation to support exerciseinduced gains in muscle mass in younger individuals. In contrast, the role of dietary protein in supporting the maintenance (or gain) of skeletal muscle mass in active older persons has received less attention. Older individuals display a blunted muscle protein synthetic response to dietary protein ingestion. However, this reduced anabolic response can largely be overcome when physical activity is performed in close temporal proximity to protein consumption. Moreover, recent evidence has helped elucidate the optimal type and amount of dietary protein that should be ingested by the older adult throughout the day in order to maximize the skeletal muscle adaptive response to physical activity. Evidence demonstrates that when these principles are adhered to, muscle maintenance or hypertrophy over prolonged periods can be further augmented in active older persons. The present review outlines the current understanding of the role that dietary protein occupies B. T. Wall N. M. Cermak L. J. C. van Loon NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6200 MD, The Netherlands L. J. C. van Loon (&) Department of Human Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6200 MD, The Netherlands e-mail: [email protected]
in the lifestyle of active older adults as a means to increase skeletal muscle mass, strength and function, and thus support healthier aging.
1 Progressive Muscle Loss in the Older Adult Global demographics indicate that the number of individuals aged 60 years and over is set to triple by the year 2050, with the fastest growing sub-population being those aged over 85 years [1]. A key hallmark of aging is a progressive loss of muscle mass, which occurs independently of health status [2]. The association between muscle loss and increased incidence of falls, fractures, metabolic disease and other health complications, indicates that the burden of our aging society on healthcare systems will increase dramatically over the upcoming decades [1, 2]. The physiological mechanisms underpinning the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength are complex and multifactorial, and remain to be fully elucidated. It has been established that reduced levels of physical activity, prevalence of d
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