Grant: Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Aging

Normal aging is characterized by a gradual decline in cardiorespiratory fitness, glucose tolerance, physical function and skeletal muscle mass and function, leading to significant challenges such as mobility impairment, increased risk of falls, and overall physical frailty. These age-related changes can severely affect the quality of life of older adults. Compounding this issue, older individuals often face hospitalization due to illness, injury, or surgery, which necessitates periods of reduced physical activity or bed rest. Such periods of inactivity can exacerbate muscle atrophy and weakness and further reduce cardiorespiratory fitness and glucose tolerance. Unfortunately, effective strategies to counteract the negative health effects of bed rest are currently limited. Accumulation of mitochondrial dysfunctions is widely considered as a key factor contributing to muscle and metabolic impairments caused by aging and inactivity. Mitochondria, tiny intracellular organelles that act as cellular powerhouses and processors, play crucial roles in maintaining muscle health. Urolithin A, a natural postbiotic, has emerged as a promising nutritional intervention for improving muscle and mitochondrial health. In this project, we aim to investigate whether urolithin A supplementation can mitigate the adverse effects of bed rest on muscle mass and strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, glucose tolerance and mitochondrial health in older adults. The outcomes of this research could establish urolithin A as a valuable strategy for alleviating the health impacts of physical inactivity in older adults.