Protein Supplementation at Breakfast and Lunch for 24 Weeks beyond Habitual Intakes Increases Whole-Body Lean Tissue Mass in Healthy Older Adults1–3

What is it about?

From cell to society: nutritional interventions in age-related sarcopenia. Professor Phil Jakeman, on behalf of the Human Science Research Group, Centre for Interventions in Inflammation, Infection and Immunity. Society is aware of obesity. Defined by the WHO, obesity is an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. A 40y person with normal BMI will progress to obesity at 70y through an annual gain in body mass of ~ 1.2 kg. Our recent body composition data(1) indicate that body mass is likely to underestimate the gain in fat mass because, from the 4th decade of life onwards, a commensurate annual loss of lean tissue (muscle) mass ~ 0.5-1kg occurs. This is age-related sarcopenia. A ‘silent’ disease, society remains largely unaware of sarcopenia and related health risk. Our primary research focus is an understanding of the mechanism(s) by which nutrition and physical activity interact to regulate muscle growth. From a nutritional perspective, we employ cell-based studies of muscle tissue in vitro to inform how protein and other nutrients, present following digestion and absorption in the circulation in vivo, influence muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and regulate muscle tissue mass. Given that we eat 3 main meals per day that’s ~1000 opportunities per annum to prevent or delay the onset of sarcopenia! Unfortunately, a principal finding from the analysis of ‘habitual’ dietary intake indicates only 1 out of the 3 main meals per day adequately stimulates MPS. The proposed solution was to use the information gained from our cell-based studies to formulate a supplement that, when added to the subject’s diet, would optimize MPS at every meal. Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so we recruited older men and women (50-70y) to undertake a placebo-controlled intervention. Encouragingly, the results were positive. Those who consumed a meal-level supplement for 6 months maintained a net gain in lean tissue mass of +0.6kg, enough to offset age-related sarcopenia(2). The priority now is to educate and inform society(3)! 1. Toomey CM, Leahy S, McCreesh K, Coote S, Jakeman P. The body composition phenotype of Irish adults aged 18-81 years. Irish Journal of Medical Science 2015 doi: 10.1007/s11845-015-1338-x 2. Norton C, Toomey CM, McCormack W, Francis P, Kerin W, Saunders J and Jakeman P. Protein supplementation at breakfast and lunch for 24 weeks beyond habitual intakes increases whole body lean tissue mass in healthy older adults. Journal of Nutrition 2016 doi:10.3945/jn.115.219022 3. Toomey CM, Cremona A, Hughes K, Norton C, Jakeman P. A Review of Body Composition Measurement in the Assessment of Health. Topics in Clinical Nutrition 2015,30;16–32.

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Why is it important?

From cell to society: nutritional interventions in age-related sarcopenia. Professor Phil Jakeman, on behalf of the Human Science Research Group, Centre for Interventions in Inflammation, Infection and Immunity. Society is aware of obesity. Defined by the WHO, obesity is an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. A 40y person with normal BMI will progress to obesity at 70y through an annual gain in body mass of ~ 1.2 kg. Our recent body composition data(1) indicate that body mass is likely to underestimate the gain in fat mass because, from the 4th decade of life onwards, a commensurate annual loss of lean tissue (muscle) mass ~ 0.5-1kg occurs. This is age-related sarcopenia. A ‘silent’ disease, society remains largely unaware of sarcopenia and related health risk. Our primary research focus is an understanding of the mechanism(s) by which nutrition and physical activity interact to regulate muscle growth. From a nutritional perspective, we employ cell-based studies of muscle tissue in vitro to inform how protein and other nutrients, present following digestion and absorption in the circulation in vivo, influence muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and regulate muscle tissue mass. Given that we eat 3 main meals per day that’s ~1000 opportunities per annum to prevent or delay the onset of sarcopenia! Unfortunately, a principal finding from the analysis of ‘habitual’ dietary intake indicates only 1 out of the 3 main meals per day adequately stimulates MPS. The proposed solution was to use the information gained from our cell-based studies to formulate a supplement that, when added to the subject’s diet, would optimize MPS at every meal. Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so we recruited older men and women (50-70y) to undertake a placebo-controlled intervention. Encouragingly, the results were positive. Those who consumed a meal-level supplement for 6 months maintained a net gain in lean tissue mass of +0.6kg, enough to offset age-related sarcopenia(2). The priority now is to educate and inform society(3)! 1. Toomey CM, Leahy S, McCreesh K, Coote S, Jakeman P. The body composition phenotype of Irish adults aged 18-81 years. Irish Journal of Medical Science 2015 doi: 10.1007/s11845-015-1338-x 2. Norton C, Toomey CM, McCormack W, Francis P, Kerin W, Saunders J and Jakeman P. Protein supplementation at breakfast and lunch for 24 weeks beyond habitual intakes increases whole body lean tissue mass in healthy older adults. Journal of Nutrition 2016 doi:10.3945/jn.115.219022 3. Toomey CM, Cremona A, Hughes K, Norton C, Jakeman P. A Review of Body Composition Measurement in the Assessment of Health. Topics in Clinical Nutrition 2015,30;16–32.

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