Effects of pre‐ or post‐exercise whey protein supplementation on oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes in older women

Abstract

Background Oxidative stress is an imbalance between antioxidant system and production of free radicals and has been associated with the age‐related deleterious changes. The defense system can be modulated by exercise and nutrition. Objective The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of whey protein supplementation pre‐ or post‐resistance training on oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activity in pre‐conditioned older women. Methods In a randomized, double‐blind, and placebo‐controlled design, 70 older women (≥60 years) were randomly assigned to one of the following three groups: whey protein‐placebo (WP‐PLA, n = 24), placebo‐whey protein (PLA‐WP, n = 23), and placebo‐placebo (PLA‐PLA, n = 23). Each group received 35 g of whey product or placebo pre‐ and post‐training. The RT program was carried out over 12 weeks (3x/week; 3x 8‐12 repetitions maximal). Oxidative stress and blood markers were assessed before and after intervention period. ANOVA for repeated measures was used for data analysis. Results There was a significant time effect (P < 0.05), with all groups showing improvements in all oxidative stress markers and antioxidant enzyme activity. A significant (P < 0.001) interaction time vs group was observed for uric acid, with both WP‐PLA and PLA‐WP presenting greater reductions compared with the PLA‐PLA, without differences between the timing of protein intake (WP‐PLA: −8.3%; PLA‐WP: −11.0%; PLA‐PLA:‐2.0%). Conclusion In already pre‐conditioned older women, whey protein supplementation reduces plasma uric acid concentration with no further effect on antioxidant enzyme activity and oxidative stress markers. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03247192.

Whey for Sarcopenia; Can Whey Peptides, Hydrolysates or Proteins Play a Beneficial Role?

“…Whether whey in combination with resistance training ( Table 4 ) can increase muscle mass and strength in a bid to combat sarcopenia has been investigated by a number of research groups. Nabuco et al [ 75 , 76 ] examined the effects of 35 g of hydrolysed whey protein supplementation in older women aged > 60 years old over a 26-week period ( n = 47). Whey protein consumption resulted in a decrease in uric acid compared to the maltodextrin group.…”

“…Twelve studies included a combination of whey with exercise, making it difficult to unravel the contribution of whey alone without appropriate controls. Many studies observed significant differences to time zero instead of isocaloric [ 85 , 96 ], maltodextrin [ 75 , 76 , 77 ] or matched protein [ 68 , 87 ] control groups. In addition, many of the studies employed different whey products or ingredients which also made comparisons difficult.…”

Influence of Maternal Age and Gestational Age on Breast Milk Antioxidants During the First Month of Lactation

“…In high-income countries, prematurity is linked, at least in part, to the increase in childbearing age. The process of ageing is known to decrease antioxidant defenses [19][20][21]; however, whether maternal age influences BM antioxidant levels has not been explored. We hypothesize that BM antioxidant levels are adapted to gestational age and are negatively influenced by maternal ageing.…”

A Call to Action: Now Is the Time to Screen Elderly and Treat Osteosarcopenia, a Position Paper of the Italian College of Academic Nutritionists MED/49 (ICAN-49)

“…Although in some publications, the quality of evidence is not high, a number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown several positive effects of nutritional and exercise interventions for treating sarcopenia in older people [152][153][154][155][156][157][158][159][160][161][162][163].…”

“…A recent review [176], which summarized the results from 12 RCTs, concluded that the combination of whey protein with exercise improves muscle mass quantity, quality as well as physical performance [152][153][154][155][156][157][158][159][160][161][162][163]177]. However, it is difficult to establish from these studies what the exact contribution of whey is.…”