In that muscle strength may start to decline as early as the fourth decade of life and may accelerate in subsequent years, Anne Newman, from University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA), and colleagues studied over 2,000 men and women in their 70s, surveying their eating habits and measuring the subjects’ grip strength at the study’s start and two years later.  The team found a significant positive link between dietary intake of vitamins C and E and subsequent change in muscle strength, regardless of the subjects’ initial strength levels.  They urge that their findings provide "another reason for doctors to encourage patients to eat a balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables."