Effects of a Multi-component, Resistance-Based Exercise Program Combined with Additional Lean Red Meat on Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: Secondary Analysis of a 6-Month Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether consumption of lean red meat on three exercise training days per week can promote greater improvements than exercise alone in health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: This study is a secondary analysis from a 6 month, two-arm, parallel randomized controlled trial conducted in 2014 and 2015. SETTING: Community-dwelling older adults living in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and fifty-four men and women aged ≥65 years. INTERVENTION: All participants were enrolled in a multi-component, resistance-based exercise program (3 d/week) and randomly allocated to either a group asked to consume lean red meat (2x80g cooked servings/day) on each of the three training days (Ex+Meat, n=77) or a control group asked to consume one serving of carbohydrates (1/2 cup rice/pasta or 1 medium potato; Ex+C, n=77). MEASUREMENTS: HR-QoL was assessed using the Short-Form (SF)-36 health survey. RESULTS: Overall 62% of the participants were female, the mean age was 70.7 years (range 65 to 84 years), approximately 67% of participants were classified as either overweight or obese, and the average number of chronic conditions was two. A total of 145 participants (94%) completed the study. Mean baseline HR-QoL scores were comparable to the mean for the Australian population [Global HR-QoL (mean ± SD): Ex+Meat, 49.99 ± 6.57; Ex+C, 50.49 ± 5.27]. General Linear Mixed Models examining within and between group changes over time revealed that after 6 months, there were no within-group changes in either Ex+Meat or Ex+C nor any between-group differences for any measure of HR-QoL, with the exception that the mental health subscale improved in Ex+C versus Ex+Meat [net difference for change, -2.32 (95% CI), -4.73, 0.09, P=0.048] after adjusting for relevant covariates and the physical function subscale improved in Ex+Meat relative to baseline [mean change (95% CI), 1.88 (0.37, 3.39), P=0.011]. CONCLUSION: A multi-component resistance-based training program performed with and without the provision of lean red meat in line with current Australian dietary guidelines on each of the three training days, did not improve HR-QoL in healthy community-dwelling older adults.

Effects of prednisolone and deflazacort on osteocalcin metabolism in sheep.

Glucocorticoids adversely affect bone and mineral metabolism through a number of mechanisms, including inhibition of bone formation. Deflazacort is a glucocorticoid which has been reported to be relatively "bone-sparing." We compared the effects in oophorectomized sheep of deflazacort and prednisolone on the metabolism of osteocalcin (OC), a marker of osteoblast function. An [125]OC infusion method was used to measure the OC plasma clearance rate (PCR) and OC plasma production rate (PPR). Six-day intravenous infusion of deflazacort and prednisolone (in the dose range 0.007-1.00 mg/hour) induced dose-dependent decreases in OC PPR which were of a similar pattern but significantly different magnitude (P < 0.02); deflazacort demonstrated a potency about 150% that of prednisolone. Both steroids decreased plasma OC levels on a dose-related basis but at the lower doses 0.05 mg/hour (P < 0.05) and 0.013 mg/hour (P < 0.0005), deflazacort caused greater decrements. OC PCR was significantly increased only by higher doses of deflazacort (1.00 mg/hour, 0.25 mg/hour; P < 0.05). Deflazacort and prednisolone increased both postabsorptive plasma glucose and plasma calcium levels, but there were no significant differences between their effects. We conclude that plasma OC levels and OC PPR in sheep were more sensitive to the effects of deflazacort than to prednisolone. At high doses, the depressive effect of deflazacort on plasma OC levels may have been due in part to an increased OC PCR which was not evident with prednisolone treatment. However, the agents appeared to have a similar dose-dependent hyperglycemic effect, and both caused a small dose-dependent increase in plasma calcium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)