Keeping in Shape in Older Age more difficult for Women

According to Washington University Medical School studies, maintaining muscle and keeping in shape is more difficult for older, post-menopausal women. The new results underline the importance for older women of eating plenty of protein such as eggs, fish, chicken and lean red meat, in conjunction with resistance exercise.

Maintaining muscle is crucial in reducing the risk of falls -- one of the major causes of premature death in elderly people. From the age of 50 onwards, people lose up to 0.4 per cent of muscle mass every year making them less mobile, more prone to fractures and at higher risk of a potentially life-threatening fall. Half of all elderly people who suffer a serious fall die within two years. But it is thought the number of falls could be reduced if muscle mass could be more effectively maintained so that hips and knees remain strong and well supported.

Up until now, scientists have found no differences between men and women in muscle protein synthesis -- the process by which the body builds muscle. But the latest research has found that in their mid- to late-60s, the female body's response to food and exercise starts to decline. Women are particularly at risk of muscle loss because they tend to have less muscle and more fat than men in early and middle age -- so they are nearer to the 'danger' threshold of becoming frail when they reach their 50s and 60s.

Michael Rennie, Professor of Clinical Physiology at The University of Nottingham, said: "Rather than eating more, older people should focus on eating a higher proportion of protein in their everyday diet. In conjunction with resistance exercise, this should help to reduce the loss of muscle mass over time.