Nutritional composition for improving muscle function and daily activity

1. A combination of proteinaceous matter comprising

(a) at least 18 en % of proteinaceous matter, wherein the proteinaceous matter includes at least 10% whey protein based on total proteinaceous matter;

(b) at least 12 wt % of leucine, based on total proteinaceous matter;

(c) an indigestable carbohydrate comprising one or more of galactooligosaccharides or fructooligosaccharides; and

(d) a lipid fraction comprising fish oil, wherein the fish oil comprises at least 10 wt % based on total lipid content of an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid being eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosatetraenoic acid or docosapentaenoic acid,

for use in the improvement of a muscle function in a mammal.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the muscle function is skeletal muscle function.

3. The combination of claim 2 , wherein improving skeletal muscle function comprises improving muscle mass dependent loss of muscle function comprising a correction in maximal force, maximal contraction velocity or maximal relaxation velocity of skeletal muscle.

4. The combination of claim 2 , wherein improving skeletal muscle function comprises improving muscle mass independent loss of muscle function comprising a correction in maximal force corrected for muscle mass, maximal contraction velocity corrected for muscle mass or maximal relaxation velocity corrected for muscle mass.

5. The combination of claim 1 , wherein improving the muscle function is improving reduced muscle function due to, or resulting from aging, disease, disorder, drugs or trauma.

6. The combination of claim 5 , wherein the disease or disorder is cancer, HIV-infection, COPD, renal failure, heart failure, or a disease state characterized by a high plasma or serum level of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

7. The combination according to claim 5 , wherein improving the muscle function is improving reduced muscle function due to chemotherapy.

8. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the combination is a liquid, comprising at least 7 g/100 ml of proteinaceous matter.

9. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the proteinaceous matter further comprises at least one protein from a protein source of casein, caseinate, soy or wheat.

10. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the proteinaceous matter comprises at least 15 wt %, of whey, based on the total proteinaceous matter.

11. The combination of claim 1 comprising 12 to 23 wt % of leucine, based on total proteinaceous matter.

12. The combination of claim 1 comprising 16 to 28 wt % of glutamine based on total proteinaceous matter.

13. The combination of claim 1 comprising at least 0.7 wt % of one or more of cystine, cysteine or cysteine equivalents, based on total proteinaceous matter.

14. The combination of claim 1 including carnitine or taurine.

15. The combination of claim 1 comprising at least 15 wt % of an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, based on total lipid content.

16. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the indigestible carbohydrate is a galactomannan having a degree of polymerisation (DP) between 2 and 50, xylans having a DP of 2 to 60, oligomers having more than 30 wt % of galacturonic acid or glucuronic acid moieties having a molecular weight of 520 to 2200 Dalton, and any combination thereof.

17. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the indigestible carbohydrate content amounts 1 to 15 wt %, based on total dry matter.

18. A composition comprising proteinaceous matter, a lipid, and a digestible carbohydrate, wherein

a) the proteinaceous matter content provides 18 to 60 en % of the total composition, said proteinaceous matter comprising at least 10% whey protein based on total proteinaceous matter and at least 12 wt % of leucine, based on total proteinaceous matter;

b) the lipid content provides 10 to 50 en % of the total composition, said lipid comprising fish oil, wherein the fish oil comprises at least 10 wt % based on total lipid content of an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid being eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosatetraenoic acid or docosapentaenoic acid;

c) the digestible carbohydrate content provides 20 to 70 en % of the total composition.

19. The combination of claim 1 wherein the improvement in muscle function improves daily activity, physical performance, prognosis in terms of extended life-expectancy, compliance to an anti-cancer therapy or a quality of life.

20. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the combination is a liquid, comprising at least 8 g/100 ml of proteinaceous matter.

21. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the combination is a liquid, comprising at least 9 g/100 ml of proteinaceous matter.

22. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the combination is a liquid, comprising at least 10 g/100 ml of proteinaceous matter.

23. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the proteinaceous matter further comprises at least one protein from a protein source of casein.

24. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the proteinaceous matter comprises at least 25 wt % of whey, based on the total proteinaceous matter.

25. The combination of claim 1 comprising a galactooligosaccharide and a fructooligosaccharide in a molar ratio of galactooligosaccharide to fructooligosaccharide in the range from 1:1 to 20:1.

26. Nutritional composition comprising a combination of

(a) at least 18 en % of proteinaceous matter, said proteinaceous matter comprising whey;

(b) at least 12 wt % of leucine, based on total proteinaceous matter; and

(c) a lipid fraction comprising at least an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid selected from the group of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosatetraenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid,

for use in the improvement of the muscle function in a mammal.