What is it about?
Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterised by progres- sive and generalised loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength with a risk of adverse outcomes such as phys- ical disability, poor quality of life, and death.9 Some causes include: . Reduced physical activity . Reduced nerve cell signals from brain to muscle low- ering hormone levels . Decline in body’s ability to convert protein to energy . Nutrition – calorie and protein intake to maintain muscle mass
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Why is it important?
Is this muscle loss with ageing inevitable? Could this be changed? These were some of the questions which initially sprang to mind when exploring this area. More research needs to be carried out into systems of measurement devices and how sarcopenia can be recorded and followed up on; a measuring system that is clinically sensitive to individual patients with regard to other co-morbidities and lifestyle factors; a measure that looks also at fitness and records activity levels in alignment with muscle strength and mass and able to note improvements and changes.
Perspectives
Looking forward to the future, we also need to edu- cate and encourage disability avoidance; we need to actively put in place systems to guide individuals on their levels of physical activity, diet, nutritional status and how they can best manage all of these factors to avoid sarcopenia and some of the other illness that are commonly associated, such as osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, coronary and heart disease.5,6 Detailed analysis of an individual’s lifestyle is key to encouraging healthily ageing.
Dr Anthony Michael Mander
Nuffield Healthcare
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Mobility, exercise, nutrition and healthy ageing to avoid sarcopenia, Post Reproductive Health, June 2018, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/2053369118773240.
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