In brief

Muscle loss, especially alone or in the setting of sarcopenia or cachexia, is a common condition that predicts poor outcomes in ageing and illness. Research has been done to investigate the impact of specific nutrients on muscle mass or function, as appropriate nutrition is crucial for muscle maintenance. More research, however, is required to inform evidence-based decisions.

This comprehensive review aimed to gather and record ongoing clinical studies evaluating dietary treatments as a strategy to prevent or treat poor muscle mass or function (strength and physical performance), sarcopenia, or cachexia. ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Studies Registry Platform were searched for planned and ongoing trials through April 21, 2021.

Based on the objective to investigate the effects of dietary treatments on muscle-related outcomes (i.e. muscle mass or strength, physical performance, or muscle synthesis rate) in both clinical and non-clinical Trials , randomized controlled studies with 20 participants per arm were included (i.e. ageing).