RESUMO
Dietary protein with adequate essential amino acids effectively stimulates protein synthesis and improves muscle mass. Musculoskeletal disorders in lower or upper limbs are not uncommon among patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, this study primarily examines the effects of chronic dietary protein manipulation on amino acids' profile and position sense in the elderly suffering from T2DM. A total of 26 individuals suffering from non-insulin-dependent T2DM (age > 55 years old) participated in a 12 week nutritional intervention. The subjects were randomly assigned and the control group received 0.8-1.0 g protein/kg/day, while the intervention group received 1.2-1.5 g protein/kg/day. Lean body mass, muscle strength, and position sense were assessed at baseline, as well as at the 6th and 12th week of the intervention. Only in the intervention group, the essential amino acids intake met the current nutritional recommendations (p < 0.05), while, by the 12th week, only the intervention group showed significant improvement in the muscle strength of knee (p < 0.05) and shoulder (p < 0.05) extension. On the contrary, in the control group, a significant decline in appendicular lean mass (p < 0.05) was observed by the 12th week. Position sense at the knee joint revealed a tendency for improvement in the intervention group by the 12th week (main effect of time p = 0.072). In the present investigation, it was revealed that the higher protein intake in the intervention group seemed to have positive effects on muscle strength and nearly positive effects on position sense.
RESUMO
Medical and technology development have drastically the improved quality of life and, consequently, life expectancy. Nevertheless, the more people who enter the third-age, the more geriatric syndromes expand in the elderly. Sarcopenia and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are common diseases among the elderly and the literature has extensively studied these two diseases separately. Recent evidence, however, revealed that there is a bidirectional relationship between sarcopenia and T2DM. The aims of the present review were: (1) to present diet and exercise interventions for the management of sarcopenia and T2DM and (2) identify which diet and exercise interventions can be used simultaneously in order to effectively deal with these two disorders. Exercise and a balanced diet are used as effective countermeasures for combating sarcopenia and T2DM in older adults based on their bidirectional relationship. Lifestyle changes such as exercise and a balanced diet seem to play an important role in the remission of the diseases. Results showed that chronic exercise can help towards glycemic regulation as well as decrease the incidence rate of muscle degradation, while diet interventions which focus on protein or amino acids seem to successfully treat both disorders. Despite the fact that there are limited studies that deal with both disorders, it seems that a combined exercise regime (aerobic and resistance) along with protein intake > 1gr/kg/d is the safest strategy to follow in order to manage sarcopenia and T2DM concurrently.
