Consumption of lean red meat in line with current recommendations does not improve muscle mass, strength, or cognitive functions of healthy community-dwelling older adults undertaking resistance-based exercise training 3 days/week compared to those consuming carbohydrates, a study has shown.

The investigators randomized 154 adults aged ≥65 years who participated in a multicomponent 3-day/week resistance-based exercise programme to either a lean red meat group (two 80-g servings of cooked red meat), the exercise plus lean red meat (Ex + Meat) group (n=77), or a control group receiving carbohydrates in the form of one-half cup (approximately 225 g cooked weight) or rice or pasta or 1 medium potato, the exercise plus carbohydrate control (C + Ex) group (n=77), on training days.

No significant between-group difference in exercise-induced improvements was observed for the following primary outcomes: total body lean mass (LM; 0.6 to 0.8 kg), leg LM (0.1 to 0.2 kg), thigh muscle cross-sectional area (3.7 percent to 4.9 percent), leg and back muscle strength (26 percent to 40 percent), and executive function (z-score standard deviation [SD], 0.33 to 0.39).

Improvements also did not differ significantly for the secondary outcomes of global cognition function (0.17 to 0.23 SD), fat mass (–0.65 to –0.75 kg), physical function measures (sit-to-stand, both 15 percent; 4-square step test, 2 percent to 7 percent), or systolic blood pressure (–3.2 to –4.1 mm Hg).

Notably, improvements were greater for the Ex + meat group than the C + Ex group in terms of arm LM (0.07 kg, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.01–0.14; p=0.029), gait speed (0.05 m/s, 95 percent CI, 0.00–0.11; p=0.042), muscle density (1.0 percent, 95 percent CI, 0.2–1.9; p=0.015), and appendicular LM in the per-protocol analysis (0.21 kg, 95 percent CI, 0.02–0.40; p=0.03).

On the other hand, net improvements in working memory learning after 12 weeks (SD, 0.24, 95 percent CI, 0.05–0.43; p=0.011) and 24 weeks (SD, 0.27, 95 percent CI, 0.06–0.49; p=0.007) were greater in the C + Ex group than the Ex + Meat group.

Inflammatory and neurotrophic markers were unchanged in either group.