A 16-week randomized controlled trial of a fish oil and whey protein-derived supplement to improve physical performance in older adults losing autonomy-A pilot study.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Copper (Supplement).

This pilot study assessed the feasibility for a larger RCT of a nutritional supplementation in older adults referred to an outpatient assessment and rehabilitation program.

Why It Was Studied

Low functional capacity may lead to the loss of independence and institutionalization of older adults.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were older adults and people over 80, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, placebo-controlled and pilot.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Copper (Supplement) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Copper (Supplement) group a baseline to be compared against.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Copper (Supplement) study would be practical.

Handgrip and knee extension strength (using dynamometry), physical performance tests and plasma phospholipid n-3 fatty acids (using GCMS) were evaluated at weeks 0, 8 and 16; and lean soft tissue mass (using DXA), at weeks 0 and 16.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Whey Proteins, Dietary Supplements, Fish Oils, Pilot Projects, Physical Functional Performance, Hand Strength and Muscle Strength.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, placebo-controlled and pilot study of Copper (Supplement).

Its findings take up roughly 8 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2021 (PloS one), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Copper (Supplement) compound page, all human trials.