Grant: Project Grant

Osteosarcopenia is the simultaneous occurrence of osteoporosis (bone loss) and sarcopenia (muscle loss). It affects 40% of our older population, markedly impacting their independence and quality of life. There are no treatments for osteosarcopenia, and diagnosing this condition is challenging. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is present in oats, bananas, dried prunes, milk, tuna, fish, cheese, bread, chicken, turkey, peanuts, and chocolate. It is converted into multiple products in the gut. We have reported that some of those products (i.e., picolinic acid) benefit bone and muscle. In older persons, instead of producing beneficial products like picolinic acid, tryptophan degradation produces toxic metabolites that affect muscle and bone, predisposing older persons to osteoporosis, sarcopenia and osteosarcopenia. Therefore, our proposed research will test a novel approach to treat these conditions by giving picolinic acid to osteosarcopenic mice. We will also evaluate whether we can diagnose osteosarcopenia and predict its consequences in humans by testing the blood for tryptophan products and correlating them with multiple demographics, physical and nutritional variables included in the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging (NuAge). Our proposed approach aims to target muscle and bone simultaneously to treat osteosarcopenia while predicting adverse events (i.e., falls, fractures, frailty, poor quality of life and disability) in our older population.