Nutrient Support to Body Composition and Healthy Ageing

The focus is healthy ageing, i.e. delaying the deterioration in health status in older adults. Loss of lean tissue (skeletal muscle) mass, a process termed sarcopenia, or bone tissue mass, a process called osteopenia, is a consequence of aging per se, modified by nutrition and lifestyle behaviour.

The aim is to conduct a study of body composition, physical activity, muscle function and ability to undertake activities of daily living in older Irish men and women and to investigate the effect of a six month period of nutrient support, or nutrient plus physical activity on lean tissue mass and function and bone mass in men and women aged 50 to 70 years.

Study Design: The study is a convenience population study and 6-month randomised control trial (RCT) of men and women age 55 to 70 years.

The study groups (n=60 per group) for the RCT are:

1. CON - a control group receiving a placebo nutrient support (per kg of body mass: 0.25g maltodextrin; energy \~ 160 kcal per day)
2. PRO - a nutrient group receiving a nutrient support (per kg of body mass: 0.33g milk protein + 0.25ug vitamin D + 10mg calcium; energy \~ 160 kcal per day)
3. PRO+PA - a nutrient group receiving a nutrient support (per kg of body mass: 0.33g milk protein + 0.25ug vitamin D + 10mg calcium; energy \~ 160 kcal per day) and engaging in a prescribed physical activity (PA).

Subject recruitment: Men and women, age 50 to 70 years, will be recruited through the UL Body Composition Study, by email advertisement, GP-exercise referral scheme, feature article(s) in the local media and word of mouth.

Requirement of the participants.

On entry each subject will undertake a preliminary assessment as follows:

i. medical history and examination by a qualified medical doctor ; ii. provide a blood and urine sample to be evaluated by a qualified medical doctor; iii. food intake evaluated by a qualified dietician; iv. whole body and segmental body composition analysis (DXA); v. habitual physical activity level (PAL) vi. measurement of muscle function and performance in simulated activities of daily living.

One month following the preliminary assessment subjects will be invited to participate in a 6 month intervention programme of nutrient or nutrient plus physical activity. Consenting subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the three study groups stated above.

Upon completion (6 months), subjects will be re-assessed as follows; i. provide a blood and urine sample; ii. whole body and segmental body composition analysis (DXA); iii. measurement of muscle function and performance in simulated activities of daily living.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Conducted by a medical doctor and based on Grieg et al. Age and Aging 1994:23:185-189 being defined as 'healthy' (i.e. 'disease-free') free-living and fully mobile older subjects capable of completing the 6-month intervention

Exclusion Criteria:

* Contraindication identified by medical doctor based on Grieg et al. Age and Aging 1994:23:185-189 definition of 'healthy' (i.e. 'disease-free') free-living and fully mobile older subjects capable of completing the 6-month intervention