Dairy Intake Improves Muscle Health in Older Women

by | Nov 22, 2013 | 2013, Calcium, Women's Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. The researchers found that an increase in dairy intake (over 2.2 serving per day) improved muscle mass and hand-grip strength by 4.5%. 

Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs with aging. It is believed to play a major role in the onset of frailty and physical impairment that occurs as we age. Starting around the age of 45, sarcopenia is estimated to range from 8.8% in women to 17.5% in men (1).

While exercise, specifically resistance training, is one of the best ways to maintain muscle mass, a new study (2) suggests that increasing dairy intake among elderly women may improve muscle health.

In the study, 1,456 women between the ages of 70 and 85 years participating in the Calcium Intake Fracture Outcome study, a 5-year randomized controlled trial to investigate the role of calcium in preventing osteoporotic fractures, (3) completed a validated food frequency questionnaire on their dietary intake for the previous year (4). Researchers measured strength with a hand-grip strength test (5) and mobility with a Timed Up and Go test (6) which requires them to get up from a chair, walk 10 feet and return to the chair and sit down again.

The researchers found that those in the highest one-third of dairy intake (> 2.2 servings per day) had 4.5% more total muscle mass (75.68 vs. 72.38 pounds, p < 0.001) and 5.5% more muscle in their arms and legs (33.66 vs. 31.9 pounds, p < 0.002) compared to those with the lowest dairy intake (< 1.5 servings per day). Regarding strength, those in the highest one-third of dairy consumption had 4.5% greater hand-grip strength compared to the lowest consumption group (20.9 vs. 20.0 kg, p < 0.02). All of this translated into a 26% reduced risk of having a poor Timed Up and Go test (taking more than 10.2 seconds to complete the test (p < 0.04). Finally, those in the highest dairy intake group experienced 22% fewer falls compared to the lowest dairy consumption group (50 vs. 64 total falls in the group, p = 0.05).

When suggesting how dairy consumption produces these enhanced physical benefits, the researchers admitted that “the components in dairy that lead to improvements in muscle mass and function are still unknown” but point to research suggesting “high-quality proteins” (7) like whey protein and branched-chain amino acids “have been shown to play a key role in muscle formation” (8)  by increasing activity of a protein called insulin-like growth factor-1 (9) and working together with calcium to help improve muscle mass (10).

For the researchers, “Our results suggest an association of higher dairy intake with greater whole body lean mass and better physical performance in older women.”

Source: Radavelli-Bagatini, Simone, et al. “Association of dairy intake with body composition and physical function in older community-dwelling women.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 113.12 (2013): 1669-1674.

© 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Posted November 22, 2013.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. Morley JE.  Sarcopenia. J Lab Clin Med. 2001 Apr;137(4):231-43.
  2. Radavelli-Bagatini S.  Association of Dairy Intake with Body Composition and Physical Function in Older Community-Dwelling Women.  J Acad Nutr Diet 2013 Jul 19. pii: S2212-2672(13)00645-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.05.019.
  3. Prince RL, Devine A, Dhaliwal SS, Dick IM. Effects of calcium supplementation on clinical fracture and bone structure: Results of a 5-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in elderly women. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(8):869-875.
  4. Allison H, Amanda JP, Wendy JB, Paul I, Graham G. The Anti Cancer Council of Victoria FFQ: Relative validity of nutrient intakes compared with weighed food records in young to middle-aged women in a study of iron supplementation. Aust NZ J Public Health. 2000;24(6):576-583.
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  9. Thissen JP, Pucilowska JB, Underwood LE. Differential regulation of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-1 messenger ribonucleic acids by amino acid availability and growth hormone in rat hepatocyte primary culture. Endocrinology. 1994;134(3):1570-1576.
  10. Zemel MB. The role of dairy foods in weight management. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005;24(6 suppl):537S-546S.