Nutritional Strategies to Offset Disuse-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Anabolic Resistance in Older Adults: From Whole-Foods to Isolated Ingredients

Abstract

Preserving skeletal muscle mass and functional capacity is essential for healthy ageing. Transient periods of disuse and/or inactivity in combination with sub-optimal dietary intake have been shown to accelerate the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, predisposing to disability and metabolic disease. Mechanisms underlying disuse and/or inactivity-related muscle deterioration in the older adults, whilst multifaceted, ultimately manifest in an imbalance between rates of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown, resulting in net muscle loss. To date, the most potent intervention to mitigate disuse-induced muscle deterioration is mechanical loading in the form of resistance exercise. However, the feasibility of older individuals performing resistance exercise during disuse and inactivity has been questioned, particularly as illness and injury may affect adherence and safety, as well as accessibility to appropriate equipment and physical therapists. Therefore, optimising nutritional intake during disuse events, through the introduction of protein-rich whole-foods, isolated proteins and nutrient compounds with purported pro-anabolic and anti-catabolic properties could offset impairments in muscle protein turnover and, ultimately, the degree of muscle atrophy and recovery upon re-ambulation. The current review therefore aims to provide an overview of nutritional countermeasures to disuse atrophy and anabolic resistance in older individuals.

Myoprotective Whole Foods, Muscle Health and Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review of Observational and Intervention Studies in Older Adults

“…Thus, the findings were summarised descriptively, and their strength established based on the significant analytic results and the risk of bias assessment for each study. Complemented by other recent systematic reviews about the efficacy of liquid milk for muscle health [ 16 ], muscle anabolic response to protein-rich whole foods [ 52 , 53 , 54 ], total dairy protein [ 14 , 55 ], and protein supplementation [ 56 ] for muscle mass, strength and physical performance in older adults, this review focused on other nutrient-rich whole foods that may be beneficial for ageing muscle. Of 28 studied included in the review, 13 were judged to have low, 11 medium/some, and 4 high risk of bias.…”

“…Recent increased scientific interest in a whole food rather than an isolated nutrient approach [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] to identify myoprotective foods is based on the premise that whole foods provide benefits that are greater than a sum of their constituents, acting synergistically and cumulatively upon ageing muscle. Whole foods contain nutrients and non-nutrients that may facilitate nutrient-nutrient interactions, nutrient behaviours, and act as signalling molecules for muscle anabolism and myoprotection [ 14 , 16 , 17 , 52 ].…”

“…Plant (e.g., pea and soy product) versus animal protein foods (e.g., dairy (whey)) have shown comparable effects on several muscle-related outcomes, including muscle thickness, force production [ 70 ], muscle size, strength [ 44 ], and power [ 45 ] in young and older adults. Several recent systematic reviews and opinion articles have provided a comprehensive overview about the importance of protein quantity and quality (animal versus plant) for healthy muscle in older adults and across the lifespan [ 15 , 53 , 54 , 57 ]. A healthy diet should include a variety of protein-rich whole foods to ensure nutrient density and diet quality in order to maximise health benefits of all nutrients and non-nutrients in the population within sustainable food systems (discussed in [ 53 ]).…”

Nutritional Status Plays More Important Role in Determining Functional State in Older People Living in the Community than in Nursing Home Residents

“…Numerous scientific reports highlight the possibility of improving nutritional state including muscle mass and functional fitness through nutritional supplementation and physical activity [ 58 , 59 , 60 ]. It has also been shown that a combination of physical exercise interventions with various nutritional approaches can modulate gut microbiota composition [ 61 ].…”

Dietary protein interventions to improve nutritional status in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis

“…Consequently, the use of more protein dense meals and healthy food products may represent a more practical means to increase long-term daily protein consumption. The use of nonprotein supplements, such as creatine and omega-3 fatty acids, to support muscle maintenance has recently been described in detail [ 33 ].…”