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Physically active older adults need to have an adequate protein intake to maintain muscle mass and prevent the development of sarcopenia. The world’s increasing population challenges the availability of sufficient, high-quality dietary protein resources. Insects may be a promising protein source since the amino acid composition meets the requirements needed for muscle protein synthesis. How awesome would it be if all older adults consume mealworms to prevent them from becoming frail?
Therefore, Lotte Koopmans from the physiology research group of the Department of Medical BioSciences examined the effectiveness of lesser mealworm protein supplementation on preventing muscle damage in active older adults walking the Nijmegen 4 days marches (4Daagse). Unfortunately, 12-weeks of lesser mealworm-based protein supplementation (30 gr/day) did not attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage in older adults following multiple days of prolonged walking exercise in comparison to placebo or whey protein supplementation.
Nevertheless, the repetitive exposure to daily walking bouts may mask the effects of mealworm proteins, so future studies may re-evaluate the effectiveness following single day exercise. The article has been published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging in March 2024.
Publication
Koopmans L, Spoelder M, Bongers CCWG, Eijsvogels TMH, Hopman MTE. The effect of lesser mealworm protein on exercise-induced muscle damage in active older adults: a randomized controlled trial. J Nutr Health Aging. 2024 Mar 8;28(5):100204. doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2024.100204. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38460318.
