A carefully framed combination of moderate exercise and nutritional supplements could help older people maintain an active lifestyle for longer.
A Manchester Metropolitan University study has found that taking carbohydrate and protein supplements just before and just after low-resistance exercise could boost muscle performance and slow muscle wastage in people over retirement age.
Moreover, this combination appears to deliver greater fitness benefits than undertaking heavy-resistance training with or without changing one’s nutritional habits.
This was the first-ever study of the combination of structured exercise and nutritional supplements to focus wholly on older people.
This groundbreaking study involved a carefully selected sample of around 60 healthy, independent-living adults aged 65 and over.
The volunteers were randomly divided into groups who underwent different 12 week programmes of physical exercise and nutritional supplementation. Everyone was then re-assessed at the end of the programme.
Some groups undertook low-resistance exercise once a week; others undertook high-resistance exercise twice a week.
Within each group, some of the volunteers took protein and carbohydrate supplements while others did not.
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