Effects of 12 Weeks of Essential Amino Acids (EAA)-Based Multi-Ingredient Nutritional Supplementation on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, Muscle Power and Fatigue in Healthy Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Double-Blind Study

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 414 - 424
• Main Authors: Negro, M., Perna, S., Spadaccini, D., Castelli, L., Calanni, L., Barbero, M., Cescon, C., Rondanelli, M., D’Antona, Giuseppe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Elsevier Masson SAS 01.05.2019; Springer Paris; Springer Nature B.V; Elsevier
• Subjects: adipose tissue; Aged; Aging; Alpha lipoic acid; Amino acids; Amino Acids, Essential - metabolism; blood; body weight; coenzyme Q10; creatine; Dietary supplements; Dietary Supplements - analysis; Double-Blind Method; Double-blind studies; elderly; essential amino acids; Fatigue - physiopathology; Female; females; fractal dimensions; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; legs; Male; males; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; muscle function; Muscle strength; Muscle Strength - drug effects; muscles; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Older people; placebos; Primary Care Medicine; Quality of Life Research; resveratrol; Sarcopenia; Time Factors; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - pharmacology; Vitamin D - therapeutic use; Vitamins - pharmacology; Vitamins - therapeutic use; coenzyme Q10; Alpha lipoic acid; resveratrol; muscle function; sarcopenia
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-019-1163-4

To counteract muscle mass, muscle strength and power loss during aging, and to study age-related change of neuromuscular manifestation of fatigue in relation to nutritional supplementation. randomized controlled double-blind study. Twice-daily consumption for 12 weeks of an Essential Amino Acids (EAA)-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplement containing EAA, creatine, vitamin D and Muscle Restore Complex®. 38 healthy elderly subjects (8 male, 30 female; age: 68.91±4.60 years; body weight: 69.40±15.58 kg; height: 1.60±0.09 m) were randomized and allocated in supplement (SUPP) or placebo (PLA) group. Vitamin D blood level; Appendicular Lean Mass (ALM); Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT); Maximal Voluntary Contraction (MVC) and Peak Power (PP); myoelectric descriptors of fatigue: Fractal Dimension and Conduction Velocity initial values (FD iv, CV iv), their rates of change (FD slopes, CV slopes) and the Time to perform the Task (TtT). Significant changes were found in SUPP compared to baseline: Vitamin D (+8.73 ng/ml; p<0.001); ALM (+0.34 kg; p<0.001); VAT (-76.25 g; p<0.001); MVC (+0.52 kg; p<0.001); PP (+4.82 W; p<0.001). Between group analysis (SUPP Vs. PLA) showed improvements: vitamin D blood levels (+11,72 ng/ml; p<0.001); Legs FFM (+443.7 g; p<0.05); ALM (+0.53 kg; p<0.05); MVC (+1.38 kg; p<0.05); PP (+9.87 W; p<0.05). No statistical changes were found for FD iv, CV iv, FD and CV slopes and TtT, either compared to baseline or between groups. Significant correlations between mean differences in SUPP group were also found. The study demonstrates that in healthy elderly subjects an EAA-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplementation of 12 weeks is not effective to change myoelectric manifestation of fatigue and TtT failure but can positively affect muscle mass, muscle strength, muscle power and VAT, counterbalancing more than one year of age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.