The efficacy of a leucine-enriched whey protein for improving muscle health in older adults

By as soon as next year, 20% of the UK population will be over the age of 65-years, dramatically increasing pressures upon health and social care. Muscle mass is a strong predictor of healthy ageing and longevity, with maintenance of this controlled via a dynamic equilibrium between muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and breakdown (MPB). We know that ageing is associated with a progressive loss of muscle mass and function due to a complex, incipient disease known as sarcopenia which begins mid-life; however, the full underlying aetiology of this condition is not yet known. One known contributor to the development of sarcopenia is the "anabolic resistance" of skeletal muscle with advancing chronological age, whereby older muscle is not able to mount the same anabolic, or "maintenance" responses to key anabolic stimuli (namely amino acid nutrition and contractile activity) as in youth. Given the large potential health and societal impact of strategies to prevent or attenuate sarcopenia, this studentship, as a joint venture between the UoN, UoB and AFI, will aim to determine the efficacy of a novel protein supplement for overcoming anabolic resistance, as both a stand-alone strategy and as an adjuvant to resistance exercise training