Comparison of the effect of dark chocolate extract supplementation with eight weeks resistance training on plasma Follistatin level in older adults

Introduction: Exercise training and nutrition are non-pharmacological strategies which can reduce the sarcopenia-induced muscle atrophy in the older adults. Investigating the skeletal muscle mass atrophy is achievable by measuring the amount of plasma follistatin, as one of the key markers of determining lean body mass. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of dark chocolate extract supplementation with eight weeks resistance training on plasma Follistatin level in older adults. Method: In this semi-experimental study, 36 elderly adults (19 males, 17 females), mean age 67.21±4.19 years, randomly divided to four groups: training (EX), supplement (S), training + supplement (EX+S), and control (C). Subjects of the training groups underwent a resistance training program including eight movements (intensity: 60-80% 1RM), three sessions per week for eight weeks. Subjects of supplements groups consumed capsules containing 500mg of dark chocolate extract –contain epicatechinevery day. Follistatin levels were measured before and after eight weeks intervention. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and LSD post hoc tests with SPSS software (version 22). Results: Follistatin values increased significantly in EX (P=0.01), S (P=0.02) and EX+S (P=0.001) groups compared to C group after the intervention. The percentage of the changes of follistatin values were significantly higher in EX+S group (63.15%) compared to EX (43.48) and S (29.05%) groups. Moreover, chest press and leg press maximal strength increased in EX (P=0.03) and EX+S (P=0.01) groups in comparison with C group (P≤0.05). Conclusion: Consequently, considering the increasing effect of resistance training and dark chocolate extract supplementation on Follistatin levels in the elderly, it seems that resistance training with dark chocolate extract supplementation is a suitable strategy to reduce the effects of sarcopenia in the older adults.