SARCOPENIA IS SCARY!
As more of our population becomes overweight or obese, a condition known as sarcopenia has become common and for older seniors actually commonplace. I’m talking about it this week so that you and I can recognize its causes and symptoms. And so we can work to make darn sure we don’t develop it or if we already have it to reverse it.
Here are passages from two National Institutes of Health (NIH) articles titled Clinical Definition of Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity – How Do We Treat It?
The clinical definition: Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength and it is strictly correlated with physical disability, poor quality of life and death.
This loss of muscle tissue is mainly due to aging. Sarcopenia increases from 23% in those aged above 65 years but below 70, to 60% in those above 80 years of age.
Thus, sarcopenia is an important clinical problem that impacts millions of older adults. Causes of this condition include declines in hormones and numbers of neuromuscular junctions, increased inflammation, declines in activity, and inadequate nutrition. There are lots of conditions correlated with sarcopenia like obesity, diabetes and reduced amounts of Vitamin D. Thus, sarcopenia is highly correlated with frailty and risk of falls in elder populations, it also represents an important risk factor for disability and mortality.
Sarcopenia has this subgroup: Sarcopenic obesity. This has been described as a confluence of two phenomenons, namely the aging of the population and the obesity epidemic. It is characterized by obesity with decreased muscle mass and function. It has been proposed that physical inactivity, excess energy intake, low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance and changes in hormonal homeostasis may result in the development of sarcopenic obesity
From the research I’ve done, a lack of exercise and inactivity is by far the No.1 cause of sarcopenia. Besides a sedentary lifestyle, a deficient amount of protein can exacerbate the problem. Here are excerpts from an article by the International Osteoporosis Foundation, Preventing Sarcopenia
Preventing Sarcopenia
When it comes to prevention, enough cannot be said to highlight the importance of an active lifestyle, not only for prevention of sarcopenia, but also for prevention of a multitude of diseases. Numerous studies show resistance training in combination with aerobic exercise is effective in maintaining muscle mass and slowing progression of the condition as we age. Research has also revealed nutrition plays an important role.
Physical activity
Exercise, and in particular resistance training (or strength training) is extremely effective for preventing sarcopenia. Resistance training effects the neuromuscular system, protein synthesis, and hormones, which, when not operating normally, work together to cause sarcopenia.
After a program of resistance training is introduced, research shows that motor neuron firing and protein synthesis (both of which are needed in building muscle mass) increase even in the elderly. These changes indicate that it is possible to rebuild muscle strength even at an advanced age (emphasis mine).
Aerobic exercise also appears to aid in the fight against sarcopenia. This form of exercise especially aids in increasing protein synthesis.
Nutrition
In order for exercise training to be effective, proper nutrition must be in place. Thus, adequate nutrition intake plays a major role in preventing sarcopenia. Research has shown that older adults may need more protein per kilogram than their younger counterparts to maintain proper levels that reinforce muscle mass.
This theory, coupled with the fact that older adults tend to take in fewer calories in general, may lead to pronounced protein deficiency as well as deficiency of other important nutrients. Therefore, maintaining adequate protein intake as well as adequate caloric intake is an important facet of the treatment of this disease.
Protein intake of 1.2 g/kg of body weight per day is probably optimum for older adults. [Take your body weight in pounds x 0.45 to give your weight in kilograms. Multiply that number by 1.2 for the recommended grams of protein per day. For example, a person who weighs 150 pounds (67.5 kilograms) should aim for about 81 grams of protein per day. Most meat, poultry and fish have about 7 grams of protein in an ounce. One cup of milk or one egg has about 8 grams of protein.]
I find sarcopenia scary. In a few years I’ll be in the population group where 60% exhibit this condition. I think developing it would be a rapid decline into loss of health and quality of life, and into depression and early death. I get in my fair amount of aerobic exercise, but I’m forever slipping on my resistance training. No more, from now on I’ll be lifting weights as least twice a week. (I’ll also start taking in more protein, upping it to the recommended amount above.) You too should beware of the sedentary lifestyle. If you haven’t already, it’s time to develop an active lifestyle.