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Effect of Protein Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Muscle Mass, Strength and Function in the Elderly: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Hou, L, Lei, Y, Li, X, Huo, C, Jia, X, Yang, J, Xu, R, Wang, X
The journal of nutrition, health & aging. 2019;(5):451-458
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The loss of muscle mass, strength and function associated with increasing age has various health ramifications, including the elevated risk for falls, fractures, frailty, poor quality of life, and mortality. Several studies have confirmed the effects of protein supplementation and RT (resistance training) for this age-related change independently, but whether a combination of the two produces a stronger effect remains controversial. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore whether a combination of protein supplementation and RT leads to reduction of muscle mass, strength and function in the elderly. METHODS We retrieved RCTs (randomized controlled trials) reporting the effects of protein supplementation combined with RT on muscle mass, strength and function in the elderly, published before May 2018 through PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and manual searches. RESULTS Twenty-one RCTs were included, involving 1,249 participants. The results showed that protein supplementation combine with RT significantly enhances the muscle mass and strength of the older adults, where FFM (fat-free mass) increased by 0.23 kg (95% CI: 0.09, 0.38; P=0.002), ASMM (appendicular skeletal muscle mass) by 0.39 kg (95% CI: 0.14, 0.64; P=0.002), handgrip strength by 0.29 kg (95% CI: 0.08, 0.50; P=0.008), knee extension strength by 0.27 kg (95% CI: 0.06, 0.47; P=0.013), leg press strength by 0.33 kg (95% CI: 0.01, 0.64; P=0.04), but no significant effects were seen on muscle function. CONCLUSION Compared to simple RT, protein supplementation combine with RT is more effective in enhancing the muscle mass and strength in the elderly, and the findings do not support the benefit of combination treatment for muscle function.
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Preventive and Therapeutic Role of Functional Ingredients of Barley Grass for Chronic Diseases in Human Beings.
Zeng, Y, Pu, X, Yang, J, Du, J, Yang, X, Li, X, Li, L, Zhou, Y, Yang, T
Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity. 2018;:3232080
Abstract
Barley grass powder is the best functional food that provides nutrition and eliminates toxins from cells in human beings; however, its functional ingredients have played an important role as health benefit. In order to better cognize the preventive and therapeutic role of barley grass for chronic diseases, we carried out the systematic strategies for functional ingredients of barley grass, based on the comprehensive databases, especially the PubMed, Baidu, ISI Web of Science, and CNKI, between 2008 and 2017. Barley grass is rich in functional ingredients, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), flavonoids, saponarin, lutonarin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), K, Ca, Se, tryptophan, chlorophyll, vitamins (A, B1, C, and E), dietary fiber, polysaccharide, alkaloid, metallothioneins, and polyphenols. Barley grass promotes sleep; has antidiabetic effect; regulates blood pressure; enhances immunity; protects liver; has anti-acne/detoxifying and antidepressant effects; improves gastrointestinal function; has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and antigout effects; reduces hyperuricemia; prevents hypoxia, cardiovascular diseases, fatigue, and constipation; alleviates atopic dermatitis; is a calcium supplement; improves cognition; and so on. These results support that barley grass may be one of the best functional foods for preventive chronic diseases and the best raw material of modern diet structure in promoting the development of large health industry and further reveal that GABA, flavonoids, SOD, K-Ca, vitamins, and tryptophan mechanism of barley grass have preventive and therapeutic role for chronic diseases. This paper can be used as a scientific evidence for developing functional foods and novel drugs for barley grass for preventive chronic diseases.