(ANSA) – ROME, DECEMBER 02 – Taking a mix of Arginine and Vitamin C can promote the recovery of muscle strength and endurance in people with Long Covid and, probably, counteract the physiological loss of muscle mass in the elderly. This is what emerges from a study conducted by geriatricians of the post-Covid Day Hospital of the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation in Rome published in the journal Nutrients and presented at the national congress of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SIGG).
“Our study was born from the need to find solutions capable of countering the debilitating and disabling effects of Long Covid, which seems to represent a sort of accelerated aging”, explains Francesco Landi, SIGG president and co-author of the study together with Matteo Tosato, geriatrician at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.
The research involved 50 people with Long Covid, divided into two groups: the first took the Arginine and Vitamin C cocktail for 28 days, the second, however, a placebo. The results showed that the first group benefited from both an improvement in walking ability and grip strength: in particular, they managed to go 30 meters longer in the test that measures the distance covered in 6 minutes at a fast pace, while they did not no increase was observed in those taking the placebo. Hand grip strength increased by 3.4kg compared to a 1kg improvement in only those taking the placebo.
“The discovery of the synergistic action of Arginine and Vitamin C on the symptoms related to muscle mass and strength of the post-Covid syndrome suggests that daily supplementation with this cocktail is able to counteract the loss of muscle strength and endurance even in the elderly”, adds Landi.
“This process of muscle erosion can be slowed down and partially reversed thanks to a balanced diet and regular physical activity. This is accompanied by the use of supplements under medical advice”. (HANDLE).
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