Amino Acid Supplement May Boost Elderly's Muscle Mass
A supplemental beverage used to treat muscle-wasting may help boost muscle mass among the elderly.
June 17/Tuscaloosa, Ala./Science Daily -- A supplemental beverage used to treat muscle-wasting may help boost muscle mass among the elderly, according to a new study. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
The supplemental beverage contains three amino acids, including arginine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are required for cell growth and repair. The amino acid arginine is especially important because it increases growth-hormone production, which causes the body to produce a critical protein called insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1. This protein promotes growth and development and, as its name suggests, is similar in structure to the hormone insulin.