Experts at The University of Nottingham are looking to recruit men of two specific age groups to help understand the effect of exercise and nutrition on muscle in old age.
The team from the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health at Derby City General Hospital, expect this information will help the elderly avoid falls and fractures by discovering the amount of exercise and the kind of nutrition needed to maintain and rebuild muscles.
Muscle makes up about half the body weight of a healthy person. It is vital to maintain health and physical strength for functional independence. However, as we age we lose muscle. These changes begin at around 45 to 50 years of age. This ultimately leads to decreased strength, increased fatigue, a decline in joint stability and thus to falls and broken bones.
Leading this research is Michael Rennie, Professor of Clinical Physiology, and an expert on muscle growth and wasting in health and disease. He said: “If we can preserve muscle tissue and maintain health and independence as we get older that in turn would reduce healthcare costs associated with age related muscle wasting. We already know that it is harder for older people to maintain their muscles and we know that exercise can build muscle. What we do not yet know is how much or how little exercise is needed to do this or how best to feed people to maximise the benefit.”
Muscle is made of protein and amino acids (which are the building blocks of protein) are very important in stimulating the synthesis of muscle. As we get older our body’s ability to respond fully to a protein meal is greatly diminished. However, previous research by the Derby group and others has shown that resistance exercise such as lifting weights, can greatly increase muscle protein synthesis, muscle mass and strength. By combining the right amount of exercise and optimised nutrition the team hope to maximise the growth of muscle and therefore delay the muscle wasting that inevitably accompanies even healthy ageing.