New Healthy Aging Research Points to Opportunities to Muscle-In on Whey Protein

Three studies, by Yang et al., Pennings et al. and Burd et al., have reinforced earlier evidence that whey protein can play a role in the diet of older people, whose muscles are known to be less responsive to nutrition.

1 May 2012 --- Claims that whey protein offers superior effects on muscle protein synthesis in the elderly have received a major boost after the publication of a spate of scientific studies in the first quarter of 2012. 

Three studies, by Yang et al., Pennings et al. and Burd et al., have reinforced earlier evidence that whey protein can play a role in the diet of older people, whose muscles are known to be less responsive to nutrition. In these studies, whey protein was consistently shown to overcome this blunted response, a potential nutritional aid in offsetting sarcopenia.

New findings relating to the benefits of whey protein in healthy older people include:

•  The optimal amount to increase muscle protein synthesis at rest was a 20 g portion.
•  With resistance exercise, consumption of 40 g of whey protein showed the best results because muscle protein synthesis was uprated.
•  Compared to the same dose of other high quality proteins, whey protein supported greater rates of muscle protein synthesis, possibly due to its rapid digestion and high Leucine concentration, a potent stimulator of muscle protein synthesis.

Volac, a leading supplier of high quality whey protein to the healthy lifestyle market, has welcomed these findings which support its own position that whey protein, as part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle, can help protect life-long muscle health.

This new whey protein research by Yang et al. , 2012 and Pennings et al. 2012 , suggests that to benefit from the anabolic effects of protein nutrition older adults may need higher doses (40 g) of protein after resistance exercise than the young, whose response plateaus at moderate doses (20g), in order to optimise muscle protein synthesis.

The combination of resistance exercise and consumption of substantially more protein, without any harm to health, may be an effective strategy for older adults to offset the progressive loss of muscle mass with ageing by increasing rates of protein synthesis to similar levels seen in young adults.

As people mature and age, there is a natural and progressive loss of muscle mass. Muscle loss negatively impacts body posture, mobility and independence. Also, its deterioration with ageing may even result in chronic complications such as insulin resistance, as muscles play an important role in in body fat oxidation and in buffering blood sugar levels for energy reserves. Muscles also act as a reserve of amino acids which can be used in many metabolic processes, including wound healing and regulating the immune system.

The Yang et al. study provides support for the existence of a higher amino acid threshold in the aged muscle, which can be overcome by ingesting at least 20 g of rapidly digested whey protein. However, with resistance exercise, muscle protein synthesis was increased by 90% when higher doses of 40g whey protein were ingested, almost a third more than that observed with 20 g doses. 

Pennings et al. showed that ingestion of 35 g whey protein results in greater amino acid absorption and muscle protein synthesis in the inactive elderly when compared with the ingestion of 10g and 20g.

According to Suzane Leser, Nutrition Manager for Lifestyle Ingredients at Volac, these latest findings support another positive association to protein nutrition, especially the effectiveness of whey protein in helping slow muscle wastage in later life.

“These studies may contribute to debunk previous concepts that as people get older they would require less protein as they would be unable to utilise any increase and therefore their protein requirements would probably fall.

“The Yang et al. study adds evidence to suggest that eating protein smartly is probably more important than just looking to achieve total daily protein needs. The whole adult population could benefit more from their daily protein intakes if they spread it throughout the day, looking to consume 10 to 25 g protein with every meal and snack.

About 50% of age related loss of muscle is down to environmental factors, and as we learn that older people would particularly benefit from eating 40 g high quality protein around a strength exercise routine, the industry has a great opportunity here to offer convenient high protein products for seniors seeking solutions that will support them to achieve a life-long active lifestyle.”

A third study by Burd et al. 2012  demonstrated the superiority of  whey protein in sustaining greater rates of muscle protein synthesis, both at rest and after resistance exercise in healthy older men, when compared to other high quality sources.

The effectiveness of whey protein is largely due to high content of Leucine.  Enriching proteins with leucine could therefore be a solution for protein efficiency, but another recent study from Churchward-Venne et al.  showed that only intact whey protein was able to sustain increased rates of muscle protein synthesis in the young adults for up to five hours post-exercise, compared to enriched protein solutions, suggesting there must be other factors in whey protein which indicate that it is a better choice to support muscle growth.

Suzane continues: “This wealth of new scientific data give us the tools we need to develop products for tailored nutritional strategies, which include eating the right type of foods and at the right time for those aiming to reach their 70’s in good health.

“For muscle health, research strongly points to a need for a shift to protein sources which are fast digested and naturally high in Leucine, such as whey protein, especially as people age and care about continuing to enjoy a mobile, independent and active life. This opens huge possibilities for new protein products that help to build good nutrition habits early on to be healthier later in life so we enter 2012 with great opportunities built on science.

Yang et al. (2012) Resistance exercise enhances myofibrillar protein synthesis with graded intakes of whey protein in older men. Br J Nutr.

Pennings et al. (2012) Amino acid absorption and subsequent muscle protein accretion following graded intakes of whey protein in elderly men. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab.

Burd et al., (2012) Greater stimulation of myofibrillar protein synthesis with ingestion of whey protein isolate v. micellar casein at rest and after resistance exercise in elderly men. Br J Nutr.

Churchward-Venne et al. (2012) Supplementation of a suboptimal protein dose with leucine or essential amino acids: effects on myofibrillar protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in men. J Physiol.