Green tea, cocoa-rich diet may help boost survival in elderly

The dietary intake of flavonoids from green tea or cocoa was able to significantly increase the survival rate of aged mice and to prevent some regressive structural changes occurring with senescence in distinct cellular components of the neuromuscular system.

London: Drinking green tea and taking a cocoa-rich diet may reduce age-related neuromuscular alterations that occur with sarcopenia -- the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, finds a mice study.

Sarcopenia is one of the main reasons for loss of muscle mass. On average, it is estimated that 5-13 percent of elderly people aged 60-70 years are affected by sarcopenia. The numbers increase to 11-50 percent for those aged 80 or above.

"Sarcopenia is considered the main causative factor of the physical performance decline in the elderly," said Jordi Caldero from the Universitat de Lleida in Spain.