Improvement in muscular performance and decrease in tumor necrosis factor level in old age after antioxidant treatment.

Klaus Hauer; Wulf Hildebrandt; Yvonne Sehl; Lutz Edler; Peter Oster; Wulf Dröge

doi:10.1007/s00109-002-0406-7

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Improvement in muscular performance and decrease in tumor necrosis factor level in old age after antioxidant treatment.

Klaus Hauer·Wulf Hildebrandt·Yvonne Sehl·Lutz Edler·Peter Oster·Wulf Dröge

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Abstract

Aging-related loss of muscle function is a predictor of mortality and a surrogate parameter of the aging process. Its consequences include a high risk for falls, hip fractures, and loss of autonomy. Aging is associated with changes in the oxidant/antioxidant balance including a decrease in plasma thiol (cysteine) concentration. To assess the importance of cysteine, we determined in a double-blind study the effects of N-acetylcysteine on the functional capacity of frail geriatric patients and their response to physical exercise. The subjects on placebo showed only a relatively weak response, and 31% showed even a decrease in more than one parameter during the observation period. Low plasma arginine levels were correlated with a weak overall performance before exercise and a poor response to exercise. N-Acetylcysteine strongly enhanced the increase in knee extensor strength and significantly increased the sum of all strength parameters if adjusted for baseline arginine level as a confounding parameter. N-acetylcysteine had no significant effect on growth hormone and IGF-1 levels but caused a significant decrease in plasma TNF-alpha. These findings may provide a basis for therapeutic intervention and suggest that the loss of function involves limitations in cysteine and one or more other amino acids which may compromise muscular protein synthesis.

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Acetylcysteine Aged Antioxidants Cognition Exercise Humans Muscles Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Clinical Trial Journal Article Randomized Controlled Trial

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Klaus Hauer, Wulf Hildebrandt, Yvonne Sehl, Lutz Edler, Peter Oster, Wulf Dröge. 2003-02-08. Improvement in muscular performance and decrease in tumor necrosis factor level in old age after antioxidant treatment.. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-002-0406-7

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