Staying in shape 'hard for women'

Older women should eat plenty of protein as their bodies find it much harder than men's to replace the muscle lost as they age, a study suggests.

Differences in the way male and female bodies metabolise food means older women do not use protein as effectively to maintain muscle, the research found. Nottingham and Washington researchers studied 29 men and women aged 65 to 80.

Women over 65 should eat foods like meat and eggs and do resistance exercise, they write in PLOS One.

The researchers found that after resistance exercise like lifting weights, women did not build up muscle as their male counterparts did.

The male body, it appeared, was able to store protein in the muscle and use this to make them stronger.

The researchers, from the University of Nottingham in the UK and Washington University School of Medicine in the US, speculated that the inability of the female body to perform the same function as effectively was linked to the hormonal changes of the menopause.

Oestrogen, which declines during this period, is known to help maintain bone mass and may perform a similar role in the preservation of muscle. ...

•	Staying in shape 'hard for women' BBC News (UK), Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Byline: BBC staff

	Story also ran in 1 others:  Daily Mail (UK)