Effects of Dietary Supplements on Sarcopenic Elders

Effects of Adequate Dietary Protein With Whey Protein, Leucine, and Vitamin D Supplementation on Sarcopenia in Elderly Subjects：An Open-label, Parallel-group Study

Sarcopenia is defined as a syndrome characterized by decline of skeletal muscle mass and strength or an alteration in physical function. Although some studies showed nutritional supplementation alone might have health benefits for older sarcopenic patients, the results were inconsistent and remain controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate if a sufficient protein diet including supplements with leucine-enriched whey protein and vitamin D can lead to better improvement than sufficient dietary protein alone in maintaining muscle mass and strength among sarcopenic elders.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Older adults (≥ 65 years)
• Subject has lower appendicular muscle mass index (AMMI) (<7 kg/m^2 in men; <5.7 kg/m^2 in women) using Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA, TANITA BC-418®, Tokyo, Japan)
• Subject has lower handgrip strength (<26 kg in men; <18 kg in women) using dynamometer (CAMRY®, Zhongshan, Guangdong) or slowly gait speed (<1 m/s)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subject's life expectancy was shorter than 6 months
• Nursing home resident
• Subject has the history of kidney failure
• Subject has the history of liver failure
• Subject has the history of diabetes mellitus
• Subject has resistance exercise habit.