Effect of nutritional supplement combined with exercise intervention on sarcopenia in the elderly: A meta-analysis.
Dan Luo, Zheng Lin, Sha Li and 1 others
PMID 31406783WHAT IT FOUND
In older adults with sarcopenia, adding nutritional supplements to exercise increased muscle mass versus exercise alone, but BMI and fat mass showed no significant difference.
Evidence came from six small trials with mixed results.
Key findings
01Muscle mass, the primary outcome, was notably increased when nutritional supplements were added to exercise compared with exercise alone (standardized mean difference 2.048, 95% confidence interval 0.907 to 3.189).
02Body mass index did not differ significantly between groups (standardized mean difference 0.621, 95% confidence interval -1.71 to 2.96, P = 0.60), and fat mass did not show a significant pooled difference despite a reduction trend (standardized mean difference -2.51, 95% confidence interval -6.16 to 1.13).
03Usual walk speed improved in the pooled analysis of two trials (standardized mean difference 0.570, 95% confidence interval 0.19 to 0.95), but one trial alone did not show a significant difference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only six trials were included, and two reports came from the same experiment, so the amount of independent evidence is small. The trials varied in exercise type, nutrient type, dose, timing, and setting, so no single supplement or protocol is proven. Risk of bias was a concern because some trials did not clearly explain randomization or allocation concealment, and blinding details were missing in at least one trial. Several pooled outcomes were null or inconsistent, including body mass index, fat mass, and grip strength. The review reports pooled standardized effects rather than raw changes in muscle mass or strength. The trials were conducted in several countries, and the authors caution that dietary and cultural differences may affect application.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nutritional supplements alone improve sarcopenia. The control groups received exercise training, and the analysis compared exercise plus supplements with exercise alone, so the study does not show the supplement worked without exercise.