A group of experts in Asia and Australia came to a consensus that supplementing with HMB, protein, leucine, and Vitamin D could be beneficial to adults suffering from muscle loss.
By 2050, a quarter of Asia’s population is predicted to be over 60 years old, and those over 80 years old will account for 1/5th of all older adults in Asia. This trend towards an increasingly older population will inevitably lead to an increase in not only chronic diseases, but also the loss of mobility in older adults due to muscle loss.
The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia established a special interest group comprised of 8 experts. These experts aimed to develop an evidence-based consensus around muscle health and treatment of sarcopenia.
A systematic literature search from 2016 to 2021 was conducted on the roles of nutrition in muscle health in healthy adults over 60 years old.
Review Findings
After reviewing the group concluded that there is a strong link between muscle health and malnutrition. This indicates that early identification of older adults that are at risk of malnutrition could play a role in the prevention of sarcopenia.
Some other consensus statements around nutritional supplementation included:
- A recommended daily protein intake of ≥1.0 g/kg BW for healthy older adults and ≥1.2 g/kg BW for those with sarcopenia and/or frailty
- Supplementation of high-quality protein, amino acids such as leucine and l-carnitine, or oral nutritional supplement (ONS) containing beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB)
- Oral vitamin D supplementation (800–1000 IU/day) may be beneficial for older adults with vitamin D insufficiency.
Click here to read the full article written on the topic on NutraIngredients.com
Click here to read the published consensus Roles of nutrition in muscle health of community-dwelling older adults: evidence-based expert consensus from Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia
