Can Vitamin C Help Retain Muscle Mass?
Vitamin C could be the key to better muscles in later life, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). A study published today shows that older people who eat plenty of vitamin C — commonly found in citrus fruits, berries and vegetables — have the best skeletal muscle mass.
This is important because people tend to lose skeletal muscle mass as they get older — leading to sarcopenia (a condition characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function), frailty and reduced quality of life. Lead researcher Prof Ailsa Welch, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School said: “As people age, they lose skeletal muscle mass and strength.
“People over 50 lose up to one per cent of their skeletal muscle mass each year, and this loss is thought to affect more than 50 million people worldwide.”
Excerpted from Science Daily
