Background: The age-related decline in mass, strength, and performance of skeletal muscle is associated with loss of independence, falls risk, disability, institutionalization, and death. Methods: To determine whether a cocoa supplement enriched in flavonoids can improve plasma markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, physical performance and frailty in middle-aged and older subjects, we conducted a two-phase, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial. The initial study included 60 subjects (55- to 70-year-old) allocated into placebo (P), highly alkalinized (no-flavonoid; NF), or flavonoid-rich natural cocoa (F) beverage groups. The follow-up study included 74 older subjects (65- to 90-year-old) randomly distributed into NF or F groups. Subjects
There is evidence implicating oxidative stress (OS) as the cause of the deleterious effects of aging. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of the flavanol (-)-epicatechin (Epi) to reduce aging-induced OS and restore mitochondrial biogenesis, as well as, structural and functional endpoints in aged mice. Senile (S; 26-month-old) C57BL/6 male mice were randomly assigned to receive either water (vehicle) or 1mg/kg of Epi via oral gavage (twice daily) for 15 days. Young (Y; 6-month-old) mice were used as controls. In S brain, kidney, heart, and skeletal muscle (compared with Y animals) an increase in OS was observed as evidenced
