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Protein and amino acid supplementation in older humans

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Abstract

The aging process is a continuum throughout life and often associated with deterioration of body function as well as accumulation of chronic disabilities and of disease. The impact of nutritional status on morbidity and mortality is unquestioned. Malnutrition increases the risk for frailty and nutritional deficits can influence immune status, response to medical treatments and recovery from acute illnesses, including surgery. Health-promoting interventions implemented individually, such as exercise programs, preventive home visits, comprehensive geriatric evaluation and management, and attention to adequate nutrition with or without nutritional supplements, have been shown in separate studies to be both feasible and effective in reducing age-related deterioration. Protein and its constituent amino acids (AA) are key components of any healthy diet. Sarcopenia, the slow but progressive loss of lean muscle mass associated with advancing age, has been the focus of many studies but there is no clear-cut answer to the question of how to restrain the process. The more general question of how the requirements for protein and specific AA change with age continues to be investigated. A shift towards studying the efficacy and safety of specific AA or combination of AA that may sustain and/or enhance physiologic processes, ranging from specific tissue metabolism to overall function (e.g. exercise performance, immune function, cognition, and chronic disease development) has occurred. This review focuses on recent studies examining the use of specific AA or mixtures as supplements in the elderly and whether/how AA may assist in the maintenance of health and independence.

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Notes

  1. There is no general agreement on the age that a person becomes old. Most developed countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of an older or elderly person. The United Nations has agreed to the cutoff of 60+ years for the older population. Geriatrics is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of disease of the “elderly,” usually patients over 65 years. The World Health Organization defined “middle-age” as 45–59 years, “elderly” as 60–74 years, and “aged” as over 75 years. This review uses “elderly” and “older” interchangeably because of the evolution of investigators’ definitions of the terms. However, the mean age or age range of the study participants are provided to permit the reader to evaluate the data in the appropriate context.

  2. For simplicity, MPS will be used to denote fractional synthesis rates of muscle protein assessed with stable isotope tracers.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Ellen Dimick for assistance in the preparation of the manuscript. The International Council on Amino Acid Science provided the author with an honorarium but did not influence the content of the work. The views expressed are solely those of the author.

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  1. Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Colchester Research Facility, 208 South Park Dr., Room 173, Colchester, VT, 05446, USA

    Naomi K. Fukagawa

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  1. Naomi K. Fukagawa
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Correspondence to Naomi K. Fukagawa.

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Fukagawa, N.K. Protein and amino acid supplementation in older humans. Amino Acids 44, 1493–1509 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-013-1480-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-013-1480-6

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