Reversing muscle loss in the elderly could be solved by enriching favorite foods with meat proteins.

Age-related muscle loss, also known as sarcopenia, is becoming a huge issue in our population; in fact, many are saying it’s more prevalent and concerning than osteoporosis in the elderly.

According to Suzette Pereira, PhD, Abbott research scientist and muscle health expert, “Muscle loss is the aging factor that is rarely discussed. Starting at age 40, adults can lose up to 8% of their muscle mass each decade. After 70, that rate almost doubles to up to 15%.”

Nearly 45% of older adults are impacted by sarcopenia, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the condition causes a loss of strength, energy and mobility, along with an increased risk of falls, illness and poor health.

However, unlike osteoporosis, Pereira says sarcopenia is reversible with the right nutrition, which includes plenty of protein, plus exercise.

Pereira says, “Because protein is a critical component in helping rebuild muscle, which impacts your mobility, balance and posture as well as overall strength and energy, adults should make sure they are getting the right amount and right kinds of protein.”

Current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 46 grams per day for women ages 19 to 70+ and 56 grams per day for men ages 19 to 70+. However, experts say this level is nowhere near high enough for older adults, who may need double the amount of the recommended protein.

Promoting a protein-rich diet for the elderly is easier said than done. Visit any nursing home or assisted living facility, and you’ll notice the preferred foods are soft, bland and rich in carbohydrates. What’s more, most are required to follow the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which we know lean heavy toward grains, fruits and vegetables and steer folks away from saturated fats and proteins.

Scientists are looking at an interesting solution to entice the elderly to consume more protein in their diets — meat-enriched ice cream.

According to Food Navigator, scientists are experimenting with incorporating meat-derived ingredients into breads, spaghetti, ice cream, yoghurt and chocolate.

“We have demonstrated simple ways by which meat can be incorporate into familiar foods,” said the researchers at AgResearch Limited in New Zealand. “The results suggest the potential such products have to help elderly and other consumers meet their nutrition requirements.”

Clearly, protein is needed for all ages, and this is becoming more apparent as issues like sarcopenia come to the forefront. I’m not sure how meat-enriched ice cream would taste, but I’m all for new and innovative food products that can help meet the protein needs of the elderly.

A young woman with premature menopause might rejuvenate their ovaries with bone marrow stems cells, according to preliminary results of a clinical trial.


If a young woman has premature menopause, her own bone marrow stem cells might rejuvenate her ovaries, according to preliminary results of a clinical trial.
Information on the ongoing Rose clinical trial will be presented Tuesday at ENDO 2018, the 100th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Chicago, Ill. And researchers plan to enroll 33 participants 18 and older in the clinical trial, with the study projected to be completed by February 2020 -- but they already have results from two women.


"In the two participants who have completed the treatment to date, serum estrogen levels have increased as soon as 3 months after the injection of stem cells, and the effect has lasted for at least one year," Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy, a professor of gynecology and director of translational research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said in a press release by the Endocrine Society."Their menopausal symptoms have been alleviated, and six months after the injection of the stem cells into the ovaries, they have resumed menses."
The researchers collected mesenchymal stem cells from the two women from a posterior iliac crest bone marrow and used minimally invasive laparoscopy to inject the cells into one ovary. The second untreated ovary remained as a control.

The trial included frequent blood work, imaging of the ovaries, menopausal symptom questionnaires and safety studies over one year.
Because the women's estrogen levels have increased significantly and they have begun to menstruate, the researchers hope the participants again become fertile.

"Ultrasound imaging of treated ovaries shows significant size increase in the treated ovaries compared to the contralateral untreated ovaries," Al-Hendy said. "In the cases completed so far, the patients have tolerated the treatment very well with no complications or side effects."

He adds, in the abstract of the paper, which hasn't been released yet: "Longer follow up in a larger cohort will be needed to validate the utility of this novel approach as a viable treatment option for POI patients."

Usually, women's ovaries produce hormones and eggs until menopause in the early 50s. But about 1 percent of women have premature ovarian insufficiency younger than 40, including some as young as in their teens, the authors noted.
When this happens, the ovaries stop working and the women enter early menopause. They also face menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, night sweets, mood swings and vaginal dryness, as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis-related fracture and earlier cognitive function decline.