Age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and function, or sarcopenia, is associated with significant adverse effects on physical performance, independence, and quality of life. Nutritional supplementation is considered to have a positive impact on aspects of sarcopenia.

The PROVIDE trial, a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blind, 2 parallel-group study, evaluated the hypothesis that a specific oral nutritional supplement can improve certain measures of sarcopenia.

In all, 380 sarcopenic older adults with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB; 0-12) scores of 4 to 9 and a low skeletal muscle mass index were included in the study. Overall, 184 subjects constituted the active group and were administered a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein nutritional supplement twice daily for 13 weeks. The control group comprised of 196 subjects who were given an iso-caloric control product twice daily for 13 weeks. Primary outcomes included handgrip strength and SPPB score, and secondary outcomes included chair-stand test, gait speed, balance score, and appendicular muscle mass. The outcomes were assessed at baseline, week 7, and week 13.

Handgrip strength and SPPB were found to improve in both groups with no significant between-group differences. The active group showed greater improvement in the chair-stand test compared with the control group, with between-group effect (95% confidence interval) of -1.01 seconds (-1.77 to -0.19), P = .018. The active group also gained more appendicular muscle mass vs. the control group with between-group effect of 0.17 kg (0.004-0.338), P = .045.

It was concluded that the 13-week intervention of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein oral nutritional supplement improved muscle mass and lower-extremity function among sarcopenic older adults. Specific nutritional supplementation alone thus seems to benefit geriatric patients.

Reference

1. Bauer JM, Verlaan S, Bautmans I, et al. Effects of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein nutritional supplement on measures of sarcopenia in older adults, the PROVIDE study: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2015 Sep 1;16(9):740-7.