Pair Resistance Training With Protein
Resistance exercise taken together with protein at or above 1.2 g/kg/day: one way to carry out what the review summary this entry was written from reports: that exercise plus nutritional support optimises sarcopenia outcomes.
How to do it
What the evidence says
This practice is one way to carry out what the sources on the concept entry (phys.neuromotor.exercise-with-protein-support) studied: exercise with protein or other nutritional support in older adults, with muscle mass, strength, mobility and sarcopenia as the outcomes. Dharmansyah 2026 (umbrella review, 41 systematic reviews) reports that protein at 1.2 g/kg/day or more with resistance exercise optimises sarcopenia outcomes. Lin 2026 (network meta-analysis, 235 trials, 20,980 participants) reports whey plus resistance training ranked “most effective for muscle mass (SMD 1.29) and leg strength (SMD 1.16)” and concludes that whey protein with resistance training is the optimal program to combat sarcopenia in older adults. Liao 2018 (meta-analysis, 22 trials) reports that protein supplementation plus resistance or multicomponent exercise significantly improved frailty status, lean mass, leg strength and walking speed in frail older adults. On the limit, Sirikul 2024 (meta-analysis, 26 studies, 3715 participants) reports that the efficacy of nutritional supplements remains unclear while multicomponent exercise reduced frailty risk by 55%, and Kim 2025 (narrative review) reports the benefits of nutritional interventions as limited while resistance and multicomponent exercise demonstrated effectiveness. The full account, source by source, is on the concept entry this practice links to (phys.neuromotor.exercise-with-protein-support).
- Myth: More protein alone does the work. Actually: the conflict the review summary this entry was written from itself reports is that supplement effects are unclear or limited once exercise is present.
- Does not diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or injury
- Not a substitute for individualized medical or physical-therapy advice
- Results vary between individuals; no guaranteed outcome
- Agreement
- Direction recorded for 0 of 7 sources; not yet recorded for the rest.
- The claim's outcome
- Outcome not yet recorded
- Certainty
- A source states a certainty rating for 1 outcome.
- How the sources were read
- Some sources are based on abstracts, not full texts.
What each source measured and concluded (7)
- What it measured
- Gait speed, grip strength and physical performance
- How it was read
- based on the abstract, not the full text
- What it measured
- Sarcopenia management and fall prevention
- How it was read
- based on the abstract, not the full text
- What the review says it includes
- Umbrella review
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 41 systematic reviews (2466 records identified)
- What it measured
- Prevention of sarcopenia onset/progression via exercise, nutrition, and electrical muscle stimulation
- How it was read
- based on the abstract, not the full text
- What it measured
- Sarcopenia indicators: lean mass, handgrip/leg strength, physical mobility
- How it was read
- based on the abstract, not the full text
- What the review says it includes
- Network meta-analysis and meta-regression of RCTs
- Studies and participants, as stated
- N=20,980 across 235 RCTs
- What it measured
- Reduction in frailty risk.
- How it measured it
- CHS frailty index (objective).
- Its conclusion, in its own words
- “Multicomponent exercises can effectively improve physical frailty, regardless of the duration and types of the activities, whereas the efficacy of nutritional supplements remains unclear.”
- How it was read
- read in full text
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 studies (19 multicomponent exercise studies and 7 nutritional intervention studies)
- Studies and participants, as stated
- N=3715 participants across 26 studies (18 RCTs and 8 CCTs)
- Heterogeneity, as stated
- Heterogeneity in methodological approaches and interventions.
- What it measured
- Muscle strength, skeletal muscle mass and physical function
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Bayesian random-effects network meta-analysis
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 35 RCTs; 2331 participants
- What it measured
- Frailty status, body composition (lean mass) and physical function
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 22 RCTs (mean PEDro score 6.7)
Certainty ratings the sources state (1)
- Rating, as the source states it
- high
- Framework
- not named by the source
- Applies to
- Balance and multicomponent exercise reduces fall rates by 23-34% (high certainty); protein >=1.2 g/kg/day with resistance exercise optimizes sarcopenia outcomes
- Stated by
- Dharmansyah et al. (2026)
Every source below is shown with its study design and links to the original study. This is the audit trail.
“Abstract only” means the review read that paper’s abstract, not its full text; “screened only” means it was included at re-screening and not extracted. Both stay in the trail with their DOI, because how a source was read is part of the audit.