Effects of resistance exercise and whey protein supplementation on cognitive function in older men: secondary analysis of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Corbin Griffen, Tom Cullen, John Hattersley, Martin O. Weickert, Alexander Dallaway, Michael Duncan, Derek Renshaw

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
8 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Purpose: Ageing is associated with cognitive decline. This study investigated the individual and combined effects of resistance exercise (RE) and whey protein supplementation (PRO) on cognitive function in older men. Methods: In a pooled-groups analysis, 36 older men (age: 67 ± 4 years) were randomised to either RE (2 x/week; n = 18) or no exercise (NE; n = 18), and either PRO (2 × 25 g/d whey protein isolate; n = 18) or control (CON, 2 × 23.75 g maltodextrin/d; n = 18). A sub-analysis was also conducted between RE + CON (n = 9) and RE + PRO (n = 9). At baseline and 12 weeks, participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tests (CANTAB; Cambridge Cognition, UK) and neurobiological, inflammatory, salivary cortisol and insulin sensitivity biomarkers were quantified. Results: PRO improved executive function z-score (+0.31 ± 0.08) greater than CON (+0.06 ± 0.08, P = 0.03) and there was a trend towards improved global cognitive function (P = 0.053). RE and RE + PRO did not improve any cognitive function domains (p ≥ 0.07). RE decreased tumor necrosis factor-alpha (P = 0.02) and interleukin-6 (P = 0.048) concentrations compared to NE, but changes in biomarkers did not correlate with changes in cognitive domains. Muscle strength (r = 0.34, P = 0.045) and physical function (ρ = 0.35–0.51, P < 0.05) outcomes positively correlated with cognitive function domains at baseline, but only Δskeletal muscle index correlated with Δepisodic memory (r = 0.34, P = 0.046) following the intervention. Conclusion: In older men, PRO improved cognitive function, most notably executive functioning. RE did not improve any cognitive function domains but did decrease biomarkers of systemic inflammation. No synergistic effects were observed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number112477
Number of pages13
JournalExperimental gerontology
Volume193
Early online date6 Jun 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

Bibliographical note

© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited..

Funder

We gratefully acknowledge the time and dedication of all participants who participated in this study. We thank Research Nurse Alison Campbell (University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust) and the nursing team for support in blood and saliva collection. The authors are also grateful to Yves Schellenberg from Agropur for providing the Instantized BiPRO whey protein supplement used in this study. This publication presents independent research jointly funded by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust & Coventry University and carried out with support of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Research Facility. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust & Coventry University, the NIHR, or the Department of Health.

Keywords

  • Ageing
  • Cognitive function
  • Resistance exercise
  • Whey protein

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Ageing
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Endocrinology
  • Cell Biology

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