Maintaining muscle mass as we age requires a comprehensive approach encompassing nutrition and regular physical activity. However, many older adults don’t consume adequate dietary protein and may lead sedentary lives, due to injuries, chronic illnesses, or joint problems. A recent study found that older adults who increased their dietary protein intake and engaged in regular exercise showed marked improvements in multiple health and fitness parameters.

The study involved 97 older adults (average age, 64) with low dietary protein intake (less than 1 gram per kilogram of body weight daily) who had experienced at least one fall in the past year. Half of the participants received a daily serving of a protein-enriched soup (providing 24 to 30 grams of protein) and engaged in one hour of group exercise (aerobic and resistance) each week for 12 weeks. The other half received nutrition education training at the beginning of the study and maintained their normal activity levels.

At the end of the study, sedentary participants showed improvements in handgrip strength only. However, the participants who consumed the protein-rich soup and exercised regularly showed improvements in waist circumference, walking distance, lower body strength, functional mobility, handgrip strength, nutritional status, serum triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and DHEA-S.

DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) is a naturally occurring precursor to estrogen and testosterone. These steroid hormones exert anabolic effects by enhancing the bioavailability of insulin-like growth factor-1 in muscles, facilitating muscle growth and repair.

These findings suggest that increasing dietary protein and activity levels in older adults improves multiple health and fitness parameters. Interestingly, most of the participants in this study were female. Evidence suggests women typically consume less protein than men. In this clip, Dr. Stuart Phillips provides some insights to help older women get sufficient protein to support muscle health.