To investigate the combined and separate effects of exercise and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) supplementation on frailty, physical function, physical activity level, and hematological parameters in community-dwelling elderly Japanese women. A total of 131 frail, elderly women over 75 years were randomly assigned to one of four groups: exercise and MFGM supplementation (Ex+MFGM), exercise and placebo (Ex+Plac), MFGM supplementation, or the placebo group. The exercise group attended a 60-minute training program twice a week for three months, and the MFGM group ingested 1g of the MFGM supplement in pill form, daily for 3 months. The primary outcome measure was change in frailty status based on Fried’s frailty phenotype. Secondary outcome measures included body composition, physical function and hematological parameters, and interview survey components assessing lifestyle factors. Participants were followed for 4 months post-intervention. Significant group×time interactions were observed for usual walking speed (P = 0.005), timed up & go (P<0.001), and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 / insulin-like growth factor 1 ratio (P = 0.013). The frailty components revealed that weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, and slow walking speed were reversed, but low muscle strength did not significantly changed. Frailty reversal rate was significantly higher in the Ex+MFGM (57.6%) than in the MFGM (28.1%) or placebo (30.3%) groups at post-intervention (χ² = 8.827, P = 0.032), and at the follow-up was also significantly greater in the Ex+MFGM (45.5%) and Ex+Plac (39.4%) groups compared with the placebo (15.2%) group (χ² = 8.607, P = 0.035). The exercise+MFGM group had the highest odds ratio (OR) for frailty reversal at post-intervention and follow-up (OR = 3.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13–8.60; and OR = 4.67, 95% CI = 1.45–15.08, respectively). This study suggests that interventions including exercise and nutrition can improve frailty status. Statistically significant additive effects of MFGM with exercise could not be confirmed in this population, and further investigation in larger samples is necessary. The Japan Medical Association Clinical Trial Registry (JMACCT)JMA-IIA00069

The age‐related loss of muscle mass and/or strength and performance, sarcopenia, has been associated with geriatric syndromes, morbidity and mortality. Although sarcopenia has been researched for many years, currently there is a lack of consensus on its definition. Some studies define sarcopenia as low muscle mass alone, whereas other studies have recently combined low muscle mass, strength and physical performance suggested by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, as well as the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. The arbitrary use of various available sarcopenia definitions within the literature can cause discrepancies in the prevalence and associated risk factors. The application of population‐specific cut‐off values in any sample population can be problematic, particularly among different ethnicities. Using commonly used cut‐off points to define sarcopenia, including solely muscle mass and combined definitions, on a community‐dwelling elderly Japanese population, the prevalence of sarcopenia ranged from 2.5 to 28.0% in men and 2.3 to 11.7% in women, with muscle mass measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, and 7.1–98.0% in men and 19.8–88.0% in women measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Body mass index was the most prominent related factor for sarcopenia across the definitions in this Japanese sample. However, other associated hematological and chronic condition factors varied depending on the definition. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16 (Suppl. 1): 110–122.