Monday Dec 9, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking a cystine-based dietary antioxidant supplement for a long term may help prevent loss of muscle mass, a study in Gerontology suggests.  Muscle loss is associated with aging and seen in all elderly people.

Aging is known to be associated with a range of undesirable physiological changes including muscle loss, which is estimated at 1.5% per year.

The current study led by Indrani Sinha-Hikim, PhD, Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, CA shows that 17-month old mice on a diet supplemented with a cystine-based antioxidant supplement for six months significantly reduced loss of muscle mass among other things.

The tasteless and odorless dietary supplement consists of L-cystine (20%), glycine (40%), selenomethionine (0.31%), and L-glutamine (40%), according to the study report.

First, the researchers tested markers of oxidative stress, inflammation and muscle cell apoptosis and muscle weight in young mice (five months old) and the old mice (17 months) and found old mice had increased levels of all these markers and decreased muscle weight.

However, these aging-associated changes were significantly prevented and loss of muscle mass associated with aging was attenuated by supplementation with this cystine-based antioxidant.

Some people take branched chain amino acids to slow or prevent muscle loss. (David Liu, PHD)