Overview
Sarcopenia is the age-related progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia is a common condition that affects 10% of adults who are over 50 years old and unfortunately, sarcopenia shortens life expectancy in those it affects, compared to individuals with normal muscle strength While it can decrease life expectancy and quality of life. A healthy diet and regular exercise can reverse sarcopenia, increasing lifespan and quality of life. Everyone loses muscle with age, typically about 3%-5% each decade after age 30. Inactive people lose the most. The loss can become more noticeable and start to speed up at around age 60. After age 80, studies suggest somewhere between 11% and 50% of people have sarcopenia. Sarcopenia can be a serious problem. Once you’ve lost a lot of muscle and strength, you may struggle to do things such as getting out of chairs, opening jars, or carrying groceries. You also can become frail and have a higher risk of falls, broken bones, disability, and death. management of sarcopenia focuses on lifestyle changes to prevent muscle loss. These usually include – excercise, nutrition and dietary supplements etc therefore, proper diet and strength training can help people with sarcopenia have a positive outlook and make improvements to the condition.
Sarcopenia Causes
- Physical inactivity.
- Obesity.
- Chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease, diabetes, cancer and HIV.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Insulin resistance.
- Reduction in hormone levels.
- Malnutrition or inadequate protein intake.
- Decrease in your ability to convert protein to energy.
- Decline in the number of nerve cells that send messages from your brain to your muscles telling them to move.
Sarcopenia Symptoms
These are some of the most common symptoms of sarcopenia:
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of stamina, or staying power, when you are active
- Slow walking
- Trouble performing daily activities
- Trouble climbing stairs
- Loss of balance
- Falling
- Noticeably shrinking muscles
Risk factors
Although aging is the main cause of sarcopenia, other factors contribute to the loss of muscle mass. They include:
- Living a sedentary lifestyle: Getting little or no physical activity on a regular basis puts people at an increased risk of developing sarcopenia as they age.
- Poor nutrition: Poor dietary habits can also contribute to the development of sarcopenia. Although poor nutrition is possible at any age, it may affect how fast muscle mass declines in older adults.
Older adults tend to eat less, which can lead to malnutrition. Also, Eating large amounts of acid producing foods, such as grains and processed foods, and eating too few vegetables and fruits may also negatively affect muscle mass.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is sarcopenia diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider may diagnose sarcopenia after performing a physical exam and asking you about your symptoms. You may complete a questionnaire based on your self-reported symptoms called the SARC-F. SARC-F stands for:
- S — Strength.
- A — Assistance with walking.
- R — Rising from a chair.
- C — Climbing stairs.
- F — Falls.
You score each factor with a number between 0 and 2. The highest maximum SARC-F score is 10. A SARC-F score of 4 or more warrants more testing. There is no single test that can diagnose sarcopenia. Your healthcare provider may recommend several tests to diagnose and then determine the severity of sarcopenia.
Muscle strength tests
- Handgrip test: Handgrip strength draws a parallel to the strength in your other muscles. Providers use it to identify shortages in overall muscle strength.
- Chair stand test: Providers use the chair stand test to measure your leg muscle strength, especially your quadriceps. The chair stand test measures the number of times you can stand and sit from a chair without the use of your arms in 30 seconds.
- Walking speed test: The walking (gait) speed test measures the time it takes for you to travel 4 meters (about 13 feet) at your usual walking pace.
- Short physical performance battery (SPPB): With the SPPB test, you take three timed tasks: chair stand test, standing balance test and walking speed test.
- Timed-up and go test (TUG): The TUG test measures the time it takes for you to rise from a chair, walk 3 meters (about 10 feet) away from the chair, walk 3 meters back to the chair, and sit back down in the chair.
Sarcopenia Treatment
The primary treatments for sarcopenia are lifestyle changes, especially increases in physical activity.
Sarcopenia exercise plan
Strength training, which is also called resistance training, can help you regain strength and mobility. Your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist or suggest working with a trainer or taking a class to get started.
A typical strength training program might include working with free weights or weight machines and stretchy resistance bands. It also might include so-called bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups, lunges, and leg raises. You should do a combination of exercises that work your arms, legs, abdominal muscles, back, and chest.
Prevention
How can I prevent sarcopenia?
You may not be able to completely prevent sarcopenia since the condition happens as part of the natural aging process. But you can take steps to slow the progression of the disease. These include:
- Make healthy food choices: Maintain a healthy diet that includes high-quality proteins. Aim for 20 to 35 grams of protein in each meal.
- Exercise: Maintain a physically active lifestyle that includes exercises such as resistance training.
- Routine physicals: See your healthcare provider regularly, and let them know about any changes in your health.
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