Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9600
ISSN: 2155-9600
Carina Kern, Szabolcs Peter, Manfred Eggersdorfer and Susan Mitmesser
The Natureâ�?²s Bounty Co, USA
DSM Nutritional Products, Basel Switzerland
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci
The world�?¢�?�?�?�?s population is aging, and the elderly population is living longer. This demographic change poses a challenge to public health: How can the elderly sustain health and well-being? Retention of muscle health can help older adults to preserve independence and improve their quality of life. However, there are limited data on nutrition improvement as an approach to manage age-associated loss of muscle mass and strength, also known as sarcopenia. It is unclear whether specific nutrients could be beneficial to muscle health in the ageing process. To help answer this question, we reviewed the emerging data from human randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on individual nutrients and muscle health in the past decade. Fifteen RCTs reported benefits of the following nutrients, supplemented alone or in combination, on improving muscle mass or strength in the elderly: Proteins and essential amino acids, bovine colostrum, vitamin D, and anti-inflammatory ingredients. Cocktail supplementation of multiple nutrients was reported to be more effective than single nutrient interventions. A systems approach integrating multi-faceted interventions may help us better understand the multifactorial etiology of sarcopenia and find effective solutions for muscular conditions that occur with age.
Carina (Hua) Kern, PhD, MHS, is the Manager of Scientific Affairs, at The Nature’s Bounty Co, Ronkonkoma NY. She is responsible for advancing the company’s scientific credibility and translating scientific information to the market. Dr. Kern received her doctoral training in Human Nutrition with a joint MHS in Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore MD. She has over 10 years of professional experience in public health and human nutrition across three continents (Europe, U.S., and Asia). Her expertise covers nutrition epidemiology, clinical trial design, and scientific communications. She is a member of the American Society of Nutrition (ASN), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), and the Global Organization for EPA and DHA (GOED).
Email:CarinaKern@nbty.com