Drinking coffee could help older people maintain their strength and reduce their chances of falling and injuring themselves, a new study has found.
The decline in muscle strength that occurs as we age can reduce quality of life by making everyday tasks harder.
The process is not well understood, but it is clear that preserving muscle tone is key.
Fighting fit? Caffeine was found to boost older muscles. However, it can also stop the body from absorbing calcium
It is known that in adults in their prime caffeine helps the muscles to produce more force. But as we age, our muscles naturally change and become weaker.
So, sports scientists at Coventry University looked for the first time at whether caffeine could also have a strengthening effect on pensioners.
Their study on mice revealed that caffeine boosted power in two different muscles in elderly adults - an effect that was not seen in developing youngsters.
Jason Tallis, the study's primary author, said: 'With the importance of maintaining a physically active lifestyle to preserve health and functional capacity, the performance-enhancing benefit of caffeine could prove beneficial in the aging population.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2166384/Could-caffeine-transform-average-nan-supergran.html#ixzz1zCcnhMGz
