Effects of Icelandic yogurt consumption and resistance training in healthy untrained older males

Due to the important roles of resistance training and protein consumption in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia, we assessed the efficacy of post-exercise Icelandic yogurt consumption on lean mass, strength, and skeletal muscle regulatory factors in healthy untrained older males. Thirty healthy untrained older males (age = 68 ± 4 yr) were randomly assigned to Icelandic yogurt (IR; n =15, 18 g of protein) or an iso-energetic placebo (PR; n =15, 0 g protein) immediately following resistance training (3x/week) for eight weeks. Before and after training, lean mass, strength, and skeletal muscle regulatory factors (insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1], transforming growth factor-beta 1 [TGF-β1], growth differentiation factor 15 [GDF15], Activin A, myostatin [MST], and follistatin [FST]) were assessed. There were group x time interactions (p < 0.05) for body mass (IR: Δ 1, PR: Δ 0.7 kg), body mass index (IR: Δ 0.3, PR: Δ 0.2 kg∙m−2), lean mass (IR: Δ 1.3, PR: Δ 0.6 kg), bench press (IR: Δ 4, PR: 2.3 kg), leg press (IR: Δ 4.2, PR: Δ 2.5 kg), IGF-1 (IR: Δ 0.5, Δ PR: 0.1 ng∙mL−1), TGF-β (IR: Δ −0.2, PR: Δ −0.1 ng∙mL−1), GDF15 (IR: Δ −10.3, PR: Δ −4.8 pg∙mL−1), Activin A (IR: Δ −9.8, PR: Δ −2.9 pg∙mL−1), MST (IR: Δ −0.1, PR: Δ −0.04 ng∙mL−1), and FST (IR: Δ 0.09, PR: Δ 0.03 ng∙mL−1), with Icelandic yogurt consumption resulting in greater changes compared to placebo. The addition of Icelandic yogurt consumption to a resistance training program improved lean mass, strength, and altered skeletal muscle regulatory factors in healthy untrained older males compared to placebo. Therefore, Icelandic yogurt as a nutrient-dense source and cost-effective supplement enhances muscular gains mediated by resistance training and consequently may be used as a strategy for the prevention of sarcopenia.

Preserved Capacity for Adaptations in Strength and Muscle Regulatory Factors in Elderly in Response to Resistance Exercise Training and Deconditioning

Aging is related to an inevitable loss of muscle mass and strength. The mechanisms behind age-related loss of muscle tissue are not fully understood but may, among other things, be induced by age-related differences in myogenic regulatory factors. Resistance exercise training and deconditioning offers a model to investigate differences in myogenic regulatory factors that may be important for age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Nine elderly (82 ± 7 years old) and nine young, healthy persons (22 ± 2 years old) participated in the study. Exercise consisted of six weeks of resistance training of the quadriceps muscle followed by eight weeks of deconditioning. Muscle biopsy samples before and after training and during the deconditioning period were analyzed for MyoD, myogenin, insulin-like growth-factor I receptor, activin receptor IIB, smad2, porin, and citrate synthase. Muscle strength improved with resistance training by 78% (95.0 ± 22.0 kg) in the elderly to a similar extent as in the young participants (83.5%; 178.2 ± 44.2 kg) and returned to baseline in both groups after eight weeks of deconditioning. No difference was seen in expression of muscle regulatory factors between elderly and young in response to exercise training and deconditioning. In conclusion, the capacity to gain muscle strength with resistance exercise training in elderly was not impaired, highlighting this as a potent tool to combat age-related loss of muscle function, possibly due to preserved regulation of myogenic factors in elderly compared with young muscle.