Increasing Protein Intake to Help Older Adults Increase Muscle Strength and Function: A Pilot, Single-Arm Investigation Using Coaching and a Per-Meal Protein Prescription. Article

Gropper, SS, Exantus, M, Jackson, KL et al. (2020). Increasing Protein Intake to Help Older Adults Increase Muscle Strength and Function: A Pilot, Single-Arm Investigation Using Coaching and a Per-Meal Protein Prescription. . 9 9-13. 10.14283/jarlife.2020.4

cited authors

  • Gropper, SS; Exantus, M; Jackson, KL; Spiers, SM; Vieira, ER; D'Avolio, D; Opalinski, A; Tappen, R

abstract

  • Objective

    To evaluate the effects of nutrition education, diet coaching, and a protein prescription (PP) on protein intake, and associations with muscle strength and function.

    Design

    Prospective pretest posttest single-arm study.

    Setting

    Urban area, East coast of South Florida. Participants: 20 white, non-Hispanic adults, aged 73.3 + 10.4 years.

    Intervention

    10-week telephone-based diet coaching, nutrition education and a per-meal PP.

    Measurements

    Protein and energy intakes, weight, grip strength (GS), and 5-chair-rise (5CR), timed up and go (TUG), 3-meter walk (3mW) tests at baseline and 10 weeks.

    Results

    Pre to 10-week post values significantly improved (p<0.05) for protein intake/kg body weight (0.8 + 0.3 to 1.2 + 0.3g), protein intake/meal (17.2 ± 4.8g to 26.4 ± 6.g), protein intake/100 kcal (3.74 + 1.16 to 5.97 + 0.98g), GS (22.4 to 23.4kg), and times for TUG (10 to 8sec), 3mW (4 to 3sec), and 5CR (13 to 11sec).

    Conclusions

    Given the positive findings of this unique pilot investigation, additional studies, which include a larger more diverse group of participants and provide for control group(s), are needed to better investigate the effectiveness of this approach and its effects on muscle strength and function.

publication date

  • January 1, 2020

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Medium

  • Electronic-eCollection

start page

  • 9

end page

  • 13

volume

  • 9