Multi-Factorial Exercise and Nutrition Strategies to Improve Strength and Other Measures of Muscle Function and Health in Older Adults

Abstract

Resistance exercise training (RET) and protein supplementation are potent nonpharmacological countermeasures against sarcopenic muscle and strength loss, however other exercise modalities and isolated nutritional supplements are effective in combating additional deleterious age-related changes, such as reduced cardiometabolic health. Accordingly, in Study 1 we assessed the 48-hour integrated muscle protein synthesis (MPS) response to a single session of RE, aerobic exercise, or high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) in a group of healthy older men using the novel heavy water method. The results of Study 1 indicated that both RE and HIIE were capable of significantly elevating myofibrillar MPS above resting rates, with the most substantial effect observed following RE. In Studies 2 and 3 we evaluated whether daily consumption of a nutritional supplement which comprised whey protein, creatine, vitamin D/calcium, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids could: augment strength, physical function, and lean tissue mass (Study 2), and also improve glycemic control, lipidemia, and systemic inflammation (Study 3) in healthy older men following 6 weeks of supplementation in the absence of exercise; and enhance exercise training-induced improvements in the same outcomes following a 12-week RET + HIIT program. Six weeks of multi-ingredient nutritional supplementation stimulated gains in strength (~6%) and lean mass (~1%), roughly equivalent to one year's worth of age-related decline, as well as reduced circulating concentrations of lipids and inflammatory markers. Twelve weeks of combined RET + HIIT simultaneously improved strength, aerobic fitness, and glucose handling in the same group of older men. Further improvements in systemic inflammation and glucose handling were observed when multi-ingredient nutritional supplementation was combined with exercise training. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that multiple exercise modalities and nutritional supplements can be employed concurrently to alleviate various aspects age-related physiological decline.