Pharyngeal Exercise (Plus Protein)

Description

The swallowing muscles are prone to decreased strength and function as part of the natural aging process which can lead to difficulty swallowing, malnutrition, and frailty. Exercise and nutrition are powerful stimulators of muscular change. The proposed research will investigate the effectiveness of a 12-week proactive regimen of swallowing exercises (with or without daily protein supplement drinks) to improve the composition, force, and physiology of the swallowing muscles and explore the relationship to overall health and physical function in 80 community-dwelling older adults. Each participant will serve as their own control for 12 weeks before being randomized to complete swallowing exercises alone or swallowing exercises with protein drinks.

Conditions

Pre-Frail Older Adults

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Study Overview

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Study Details

Study overview

The swallowing muscles are prone to decreased strength and function as part of the natural aging process which can lead to difficulty swallowing, malnutrition, and frailty. Exercise and nutrition are powerful stimulators of muscular change. The proposed research will investigate the effectiveness of a 12-week proactive regimen of swallowing exercises (with or without daily protein supplement drinks) to improve the composition, force, and physiology of the swallowing muscles and explore the relationship to overall health and physical function in 80 community-dwelling older adults. Each participant will serve as their own control for 12 weeks before being randomized to complete swallowing exercises alone or swallowing exercises with protein drinks.

A Single-center Randomized Clinical Trial to Test the Efficacy of Pharyngeal Swallowing Exercises (With or Without Protein Supplementation) to Build Pharyngeal Muscular Reserve in Pre-frail Older Adults

Pharyngeal Exercise (Plus Protein)

Condition
Pre-Frail Older Adults
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

New York

NYU Steinhardt School of Education, New York, New York, United States, 10003

New York

NYU Langone Health, New York, New York, United States, 10017

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • 1. Participants must be 65 years of age or older.
  • 2. Participants must score a 1 or 2 on the FRAIL scale OR a 4 or greater on the Strength, Assistance in Walking, Rise from a Chair, Climb Stairs and Falls (SARC-F) Questionnaire.
  • 3. Participants must score 26 or greater on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
  • 4. Willingness to participate in the study procedures.
  • 1. Known structural or neurological causes of dysphagia.
  • 2. Cannot consume high levels of protein (Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3 or higher).
  • 3. Contraindications to 3T whole body MRI scanners (e.g., pacemaker, cerebral aneurysm clip, cochlear implant, presence of shrapnel in strategic locations, metal in the eye, claustrophobia, or other problems).

Ages Eligible for Study

65 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

NYU Langone Health,

Sonja Molfenter, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, NYU Langone Health

Study Record Dates

2028-12-31