13 Dec Paula Mota – Researcher and deputy director of CIDESD interviewed at 90 Seconds of Science
Professor Paula Mota, professor at UTAD and researcher at Cidesd – Center for Research in Sport, Health and Human Development was interviewed for the program “90 Segundos de Ciência” for her research about “RESEARCH TESTS THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTS BASED ON COW BEANS TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FITNESS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE”.
This project is evaluating the impact of using these supplements together with physical exercise on the quality of life of the elderly.
Paula Mota, assistant professor at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) and researcher at CIDESD – Research Center for Sport, Health and Human Development, is studying the use of cowpea-based supplements in improving physical fitness of elderly people in the region of Trás-os-Montes.
This investigation is part of the Soil Recovery for Healthy Food and Quality of Life project developed by UTAD, which aims to develop a food supplement based on cowpeas.
The idea is to verify how physical exercise with cowpea supplementation translates into an improvement in physical fitness, both in terms of muscle strength and in terms of quality of life, in frail elderly people, in particular , in those who live in nursing homes.
After the product is developed, it will be tested in four groups of elderly people.
A control group, which will not take any supplement, a group that will only take the cowpea supplement without physical exercise, and two groups that will perform physical exercise, one without supplementation, and the other with this cowpea supplement friar.
“We are going to check if we have more gains with the elderly with this administration of supplementation with black-eyed peas after performing resistance exercise”, he reinforces.
Cowpea was chosen not only for its nutritional characteristics but also because it is a product with which the elderly who will participate in the study are already familiar, as it is a common food in rural areas of northern Portugal.
“These seniors are very familiar with this type of food and its taste, which could be an asset in terms of acceptance of the product”, she reveals.
You can access the interview at the link