Metabolic flexibility is the body's ability to switch between burning fat and sugar for energy. This ability often drops as people age. A recent study looked at whether specific lifestyle changes could help older men keep this skill sharp. Thirty-three older men took part in the research. They spent time in special rooms that measured their energy use while awake and asleep. The men either did resistance exercise with a high protein diet or did nothing at all. The results showed clear benefits for the group that exercised and ate more protein. Their bodies became better at switching fuel sources after activity. The men who did not exercise or change their diet did not see these improvements. No safety issues were reported during the study. The team noted that this was an exploratory look at the topic. More research is needed to confirm these findings for everyone. Still, the results offer hope that simple changes can help older adults manage their energy better.
Resistance exercise and high protein diet improved metabolic flexibility in older men over 12 weeksResistance exercise and high protein diet improved metabolic flexibility in older men
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Key Takeaway
Consider resistance exercise and high protein diet for metabolic flexibility in older men, noting exploratory design.
This randomized controlled trial enrolled 33 older men. The study utilized whole-room indirect calorimeters to assess metabolic flexibility. Participants were assigned to resistance exercise with or without a high protein diet, compared to no exercise and a control diet. The follow-up period lasted 12 weeks.
Results indicated that resistance exercise significantly increased awake-sleep metabolic flexibility compared to no exercise. The absolute change was +0.02±0.004 versus 0.00±0.05 with a p-value of 0.01. Resistance exercise also increased metabolic flexibility during steady state exercise-sleep transitions with p ≤0.045 and peak exercise-exercise end with p ≤0.04. High protein diet increased metabolic flexibility for one step exercise bout with p=0.047. No significant differences occurred between resistance exercise with control diet versus resistance exercise with high protein diet with p ≥0.06.
Safety data were not reported for adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, or tolerability. The study was described as an exploratory sub-analysis. Funding or conflicts of interest were not reported. Practice relevance was not reported. Causality notes were not reported.
What this means for you:
Resistance exercise and high protein diet improved metabolic flexibility in older men. View Original Abstract ↓
PURPOSE: Aging and sarcopenia are associated with metabolic inflexibility. This study investigated the effects of resistance exercise (RE) and a high protein diet (PRO) on metabolic flexibility (the ability to adjust rates of substrate oxidation to changes in fuel availability) in older men.
METHODS: In a pooled groups analysis, 33 healthy older men [(mean±SE) age: 67±1 years; BMI: 25.4±0.4 kg/m] were randomized to either RE (2×/week; n=17) or no exercise (NE; n=16), and either high protein diet [∼1.6 g/kg/day (∼25% of energy intake (EI))] via twice daily (25 g) whey protein supplementation (PRO; n=17) or control (CON, 2 × 23.75 g maltodextrin/day; n=16). An exploratory sub-analysis was also conducted between RE+CON (n=8) and RE+PRO (n=9). At baseline and 12 weeks, participants resided in whole-room indirect calorimeters for 24 h for measurement of metabolic flexibility via changes in relative substrate utilization [non-protein respiratory quotient (npRQ)] under different conditions (fasting sleep to awake, step exercise, and 2-h postprandial meal consumption, and peak step exercise to exercise end).
RESULTS: Compared to NE, RE significantly increased (indicating medium-to-large effects on improved metabolic flexibility) ΔnpRQ (awake-sleep) (+0.02±0.004 vs. 0.00±0.05, p=0.01, f=0.48), and ΔnpRQ (steady state exercise-sleep) (p ≤0.045) and ΔnpRQ (peak exercise-exercise end) (p ≤0.04, f=0.39-0.64) for two step exercise bouts performed ∼2 h postprandially. Compared to CON, PRO increased ΔnpRQ (steady state-sleep) for one step exercise bout (+0.02±0.01 vs. -0.002±0.01, p=0.047, f=0.39). No significant differences occurred between the RE+CON and RE+PRO groups (p ≥0.06).
CONCLUSION: In older men, RE improved metabolic flexibility. PRO had a limited benefit. No synergistic effects were observed.
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