Culinary Medicine to Enhance Protein Intake on Muscle Quality in Older Adults

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Sarcopenia

In brief

Aging is associated with a decline in muscle mass, strength, and physical function, leading to muscle mass loss and weakness. These concerns can impact an individual's functional independence and quality of life (QOL). Dietary protein stimulates muscle protein growth. Current studies suggest that optimal protein intake for older adults is greater than the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Barriers to consuming protein-rich foods in older adults include reductions in taste and smell, dentition, dexterity, and changes in living situation. Therefore, nutritional interventions are needed to effectively improve eating behaviors, diet quality, and stimulate muscle growth and strength. These interventions will help prevent, manage, and promote muscle mass loss recovery. Older adults may not be aware of their changing nutrient needs and therefore may lack the skills to prepare nutritionally adequate foods properly. Cooking demonstrations, or culinary medicine (CM), can help teach healthy cooking to reduce potential red meat consumption barriers and improve community-dwelling older adults' dietary habits. Thus, CM can be a novel strategy to improve diet quality in older adults and promote and augment at-home cooking. CM is an evidenced-base field that combines skills of preparing, cooking, and presenting food with the science of medicine. This field can help to accomplish potential eating behaviors and health outcome improvements. A tailored CM program can be an effective strategy that could reduce barriers in protein intake that will enable older adults to age well and productively.

Key facts

Study ID
NCT05593978
Run by
Texas Tech University
People needed
56
Starts
2022-06-01
Expected to finish
2023-01-31
Last updated by the study team
2023-08-04

Who can join

Age: 65 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

You may not qualify if…

Where it is running

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.