Resistance exercise and high protein diet in older men: 12-week metabolic flexibility trial
In 33 healthy older men, resistance exercise improved metabolic flexibility over 12 weeks; a high protein diet had limited benefit and no synergy was seen. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Thirty-three healthy older men were randomized to resistance exercise twice weekly or no exercise, and separately to a high protein diet or control. [1]
Compared with no exercise, resistance exercise significantly increased the change in non-protein respiratory quotient from sleep to awake. [1]
No significant differences occurred between the exercise-plus-control and exercise-plus-protein groups, so no synergy was observed. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- 12-week randomized controlled trial (abstract).
- Population / context
- 33 healthy older men with a mean age of 67 years.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- March 19, 2026
Older men, exercise and protein compared
The abstract describes a 12-week randomized controlled trial in 33 healthy older men (mean age 67 years, BMI 25.4). Participants were randomized to resistance exercise twice weekly (n=17) or no exercise (n=16), and separately to a high protein diet of about 1.6 g/kg/day via twice-daily whey protein (n=17) or a control with maltodextrin (n=16). An exploratory sub-analysis compared exercise plus control (n=8) with exercise plus protein (n=9). Metabolic flexibility was measured at baseline and 12 weeks during 24-hour stays in whole-room indirect calorimeters.
Supporting source [1]
Exercise improved substrate flexibility; protein limited
Compared with no exercise, resistance exercise significantly increased the change in non-protein respiratory quotient from sleep to awake (+0.02 vs. 0.00) and across two step-exercise bouts performed about 2 hours after a meal. Compared with control, the high protein diet increased this change for one step-exercise bout (+0.02 vs. -0.002). The abstract reports no significant differences between the exercise-plus-control and exercise-plus-protein groups (p ≥0.06), so no synergistic effect was observed.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only scope of the metabolic flexibility trial
The conclusion states that resistance exercise improved metabolic flexibility in older men, while the high protein diet had limited benefit. These findings come from the abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract does not report adverse events, adherence or longer-term outcomes, and the exploratory sub-analysis had small groups (8 and 9 participants).
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract does not report adverse events, adherence or longer-term outcomes, and the exploratory sub-analysis had small groups.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Griffen C, Renshaw D, Duncan M, Dallaway A, Randeva H, Weickert MO, Hattersley J. · europepmc.org · March 19, 2026