peer reviewedAs the human body ages, skeletal muscle loses its mass and strength. It is estimated that in
10% of individuals over the age of 60, this muscle frailty has progressed to sarcopenia. Biomarkers of
sarcopenia include increases in inflammatory markers and oxidative stress markers and decreases
in muscle anabolic markers. Whey is a high-quality, easily digested dairy protein which is widely
used in the sports industry. This review explores the evidence that whey protein, hydrolysates or
peptides may have beneficial effects on sarcopenic biomarkers in myoblast cell lines, in aged rodents
and in human dietary intervention trials with the older consumer. A daily dietary supplementation
of 35 g of whey is likely to improve sarcopenic biomarkers in frail or sarcopenia individuals. Whey
supplementation, consumed by an older, healthy adult certainly improves muscle mTOR signaling,
but exercise appears to have the greatest benefit to older muscle. In vitro cellular assays are central
for bioactive and bioavailable peptide identification and to determine their mechanism of action on
ageing muscle.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Irelan