The role of exercise, milk, dairy foods and constituent proteins on the prevention and management of sarcopenia

Sarcopenia, an age-related decline in muscle mass, is a burgeoning public health concern in the UK, with the number of people over the age of 65 expected to double by 2050. Resistance exercise is an effective intervention in its prevention and management. Increasing quantity and improving quality of dietary protein, by inclusion of high-availability leucine, are also purportedly beneficial. Leucine is a key anabolic amino acid, found in dairy foods. A number of studies have investigated dairy foods in prevention of sarcopenia. This paper reviews interventions of exercise, amino acids including leucine, dairy protein and foods for prevention of sarcopenia.