Table 1.
The characteristics of the included studies.
| Author | Year | Design | Country/region | Population | Intervention duration | Sample size | Intervention design (number, age) | Control design (number, age) | Outcome domain and measurement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsekoura (Tsekoura et al., 2018) | 2018 | 3-Arms RCT | Greece | ≥60 years living independently in the community with (pre)sarcopenia | 3 months | 54 |
|
Usual care (N = 18, 72.89±8.31) | BMI, SMI, fat-free mass, calf circumference, handgrip strength, knee extension strength, knee flexion strength, TUGT, 4 m test, 5 times chair stand test, QoL |
| Sen (Sen et al., 2021) | 2021 | 2-Arms RCT | Turkey | Community-dwelling older adult aged 65–80 years and diagnosed with sarcopenia | 3 months | 90 | Home-based exercise (N = 46, 73±4.8) | Usual care (N = 44, 72.7±5) | TUGT, QoL, 6MWT, BBS |
| Maruya (Maruya et al., 2016) | 2016 | 2-Arms RCT | Japan | ≥60 years old people living in the community with (pre)sarcopenia | 6 months | 40 | Home-based exercise (N = 26, 69.2±5.6) | Usual care (N = 14, 68.5±6.2) | BMI, SMI, Body fat, handgrip, duration of single leg standing, gait speed, knee extension strength, GLFS-25, QoL, pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia |
| Li (Li et al., 2021) | 2021 | 4-Arms RCT | China | ≥60 years old people with sarcopenia and have normal cognition or only mild cognitive disturbance | 12 weeks | 169 |
|
Usual care (N = 33, 72.91±6.29) | ASM, SMI, ASM/weight, ASM/BMI, ASM:fat ratio, fat mass, percentage of fat mass, WHR, VFA, handgrip strength |
| Chang (Chang et al., 2021) | 2021 | 2-Arms RCT | Taiwan | >65 years old people with sarcopenia | 12 weeks | 57 | Home-based exercise (N = 28, 75.7±5.9) | Group-based exercise (N = 29, 74.3±5.8) | Lean mass of upper extremities, lean mass of lower extremities, lean mass of the trunk, total lean mass, total fat content, handgrip strength, gait speed, 30-second chair stand test, 2-minute step test |
| Björkman (Björkman et al., 2020) | 2020 | 3-Arms RCT | Finland | ≥75 years old people with sarcopenia | 12 months | 178 |
|
Usual care (N = 50, 83.7±5.1) | SMI, hand grip strength, SPPB, CSPPS |
| Nasimi (Nasimi et al., 2021) | 2021 | 2-Arms RCT | Iran | ≥65 years old people with sarcopenia | 12 weeks | 64 | Fortified yogurt (N = 33, 71±3.33) | Active control (N = 31, 69±7.03) | BMI, SMI, total lean mass, ALM, fat mass, waist circumference, calf circumference, handgrip strength, gait speed, PCS score, MCS score, MNA score, IPAQ score, vitamin D, IGF-1, hs-CRP, insulin, HOMA-IR |
| Lin (Lin et al., 2021) | 2021 | 2-Arms RCT | Taiwan | ≥65 years old people with sarcopenia | 12 weeks | 56 | Protein supplement (N = 28, 72.5±5.75) | Usual care (N = 28, 73.8±8.11) | Body weight, BMI, fat mass, fat free mass, ASM, SMI, handgrip strength, gait speed, total energy, carbohydrate, fat and protein intake |
| Cramer (Cramer et al., 2016) | 2016 | 2-Arms RCT | 8 countries across Europe and North America | ≥65 years old people with sarcopenia and malnutrition | 24 weeks | 328 | High protein supplement (N = 163, 77±7.40) | Low protein supplement (N = 165, 77±7.40) | BMI, body weight, fat mass, single left leg muscle mass, sum of left and right legs muscle mass |
| Bo (Bo et al., 2019) | 2019 | 2-Arms RCT | China | Aged 60–85 years old people with sarcopenia | 6 months | 60 | Protein supplement (N = 30, 73.23±6.52) | Usual care (N = 30, 74.38±5.94) | Body weight, BMI, fat mass, AMM, RSMI, handgrip strength, gait speed, time to complete 5 stands, time to stand up, SF-36 MCS score, SF-36 PCS score, C-reactive protein, albumin, total protein, LDL-C, HDL-C, total cholesterol, triglyceride, IGF-1, TNF-a, IL-2, IL-6, vitamin D3, vitamin E, energy, protein, fat and carbohydrates intake |
| Alemán-Mateo (Alemán-Mateo et al., 2012) | 2010 | 2-Arms RCT | Mexico | ≥60 years old people with sarcopenia | 3 months | 40 | Ricotta cheese supplement (N = 20, 75.4±5.0) | Usual care (N = 20, 76.7±5.8) | Body weight, ASM, Lean body mass (arms and legs), Body fat, truncal fat, lean body mass, total body mass, handgrip strength, IGF-1, insulin, HOMA-IR, glucose, hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, uric acid, urea, GFR, microalbumin |
Abbreviations: 6MWT, 6-Minute Walking Test; ASM, appendicular skeletal muscle mass; BBS, Berg Balance Scale; CSPPS, Continuous Summary Physical; GLFS-25, the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Functional Scale; HDL-C, high density lipoprotein cholesterol; HOMA-IR, insulin resistance; IGF-1, insulin like growth factor-1; IPAQ, International Physical Activity Questionnaire; LDL-C, low density lipoprotein cholesterol; MCS, Mental Component Summery; PCS, Physical Component Summery; MNA, Mini-Nutritional Assessment; QoL, quality of life; SF-36, Short-Form 36-Item health survey; SMI, skeletal muscle mass index; SPPB, Short Physical Performance Battery; TNF-a, tumor necrosis factor-∝; TUGT, Time Up and Go Test; VFA, visceral fat area; WHR, waist-hip ratio.