Mixed
A 16-week nutritional intervention combining whey protein with leucine and fish oil with vitamin D3 increases total lean mass in very old adults with low functional capacity, despite failing to improve physical performance metrics like strength or gait speed.
For very old adults with low function, a specific combination of whey protein (with leucine) and fish oil (with Vitamin D) can increase lean mass by about 0.5 kg over 4 months. However, this did not improve strength or walking speed. Adherence to the fish oil component dropped significantly over time, suggesting that simpler regimens or better palatability might be needed for long-term use.
While body weight increased in both groups (mean: +1.3–1.4 kg, 95%CI: 0.3, 2.3), total lean mass increased in EXP (median: +663.0 g; mean: +508.3 g, 95%CI: 142.3, 874.2) with no change in CTR.
Why this rating
Pilot study with very small sample size (n=10 completed), high attrition, and interrupted recruitment limits generalizability.
Source
A 16-week randomized controlled trial of a fish oil and whey protein-derived supplement to improve physical performance in older adults losing autonomy—A pilot study
Anne‐Julie Tessier et al. · PLoS ONE · 2021
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0256386
Related findings · Mixed
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