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24.12.2020

Curcumin supplement increases muscle strength and fitness in people over 65 - again...

Curcumin increases muscle strength in people over 65 in a sponsored study, we wrote a few days ago. This article is also about a study in which curcumin makes people over 65 stronger and fitter. And that study has also been sponsored. But then by another company.

Study
The researchers got 86 healthy people over 65 to divide themselves into three groups.

The subjects in the first group were given a diet formulated by a nutritionist, plus a daily exercise program to keep the subjects fit. [Standard management] [Figure]

In addition to a diet and exercise program, the second group of subjects also received a supplement containing 1 gram of curcumin every day. The researchers used a curcumin supplement from Indena, [indena.com] Meriva. [Standard management + Meriva] Meriva products consists of small spheres of curcumin enclosed in nets of phosphatidylcholine, which increase curcumin's uptake by the intestines. Read more about Meriva here.

Indena paid for the study. In fact, a number of prominent authors of the study are Indena employees.

In addition to curcumin, the third group of subjects also used 800 IU of vitamin D3, 500 milligrams of vitamin C, 3 grams of L-isoleucine and 1 gram of L-carnitine every day. [Standard management + Meriva + additional supplementation]

Results
Only the subjects who took curcumin supplements developed more hand-grip strength.

Yellow = before the experiment started; gray = after 3 months.

The same was true for the number of meters the subjects could walk without getting tired. This distance increased in the curcumin groups.

The researchers suspect that curcumin works via multiple mechanisms. Curcumin allowed the heart to pump blood more effectively, reduced the activity of aggressive free radicals and reduced the concentration of protein in the urine.

Click on the figure below for a larger version.

Conclusion
"The addition of Meriva, either or not combined with other nutritional supplements, to a standardized diet and exercise plan contributes to improve strenght and physical performance in elderly subjects, potentially preventing the onset of sarcopenia", the Italians conclude.

"We believe that Meriva, in the context of an integrated approach, holds the potential to have a role in the management of this condition."

Source:
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2016;20(4):762-6.

More:
Curcumin increases the muscle strength of people over 65 20.12.2020
Combination of fish oil and curcumin activates anabolism in inactive muscles 11.04.2019
More muscles in old age thanks to curcumin supplementation 12.03.2019

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