How to Slow Muscle Loss Caused by Aging

By: Evie Carrier

Since you’re reading this article, you may be thinking that muscle deterioration is a natural part of aging that you can’t stop and have to accept. You’d be correct in some ways, but not if you think that muscle deterioration can’t be prevented, reversed, and slowed.

You’ve certainly come to the right place: this article will give you the knowledge you need to move forward. Hopefully, this will help reduce the stresses associated with getting older by helping you understand what’s really going on with your muscles and what you can do to ensure that you’re not surrendering any aspects of your lifestyle simply because of sarcopenia.

In this article, we’ll go over:

• What is sarcopenia & what are its causes?
• Prevention, slowing, and reversal
• Through exercise
• Through nutrition

Sarcopenia & Its Causes

Sarcopenia is the term for loss of muscle mass/strength and function, often caused by aging. It may be comforting to know that this condition isn’t entirely uncommon, as millions of adults suffer from aging-related sarcopenia globally. To be a bit more specific, reports have stated that an estimated 5-13% of adults aged 60-70, and 11-50% of adults over the age of 80, suffer from sarcopenia. These statistics may be surprising, as the condition isn’t as commonly spoken about as it should be.

It’s been reported that an average decline of about 15% of muscle mass occurs between ages 30-80. Adults can lose up to 5% of muscle mass per decade. As sarcopenia tends to worsen after the age of 65, the amount of muscle that is lost significantly increases annually. The statistics then go up to the possibility of losing up to 3% of muscle mass, per year. This can eventually add up to a loss of over 30% of total muscle mass over your lifetime (wow!).

Testing for sarcopenia can be conducted by a healthcare professional through a series of tests and questions. If you plan on getting tested for sarcopenia, you can expect to be asked about any falls you may have had in recent months, as well as if you’ve had any increases in feelings of weakness or fatigue. You can also expect that your doctor will request that you gather results from a series of tests, including strength testing (often through grip), stamina/ endurance assessments, as well as walking speed. Your doctor will compare your results with those of sarcopenic patients to see if you could have the condition. There are certain numbers, or scores, that each testing result should equate to for someone to be diagnosed. You can find out more about those specific numbers in this article: “Techniques for the Diagnosis of Sarcopenia”.

Essentially, sarcopenia occurs when there’s an imbalance of signals between healing cells and cells for teardown, within the muscle. Several factors can trigger this imbalance.

This condition doesn’t always have a transparent cause, although sarcopenia with aging can be caused by complications of old age. For example; lower levels of growth hormones, brain signal interference, weakened ability to turn protein into muscle, among other cellular changes.

Aside from aging-related sarcopenia, in less common circumstances, the condition can also be the result of inactivity, malnutrition, obesity, severe stress, and (surprisingly) dental issues. It can develop as early as the age of 30 in these cases. Also, conditions like liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, various forms of heart failure, as well as diabetes, can greatly contribute to sarcopenia. These diseases are known to lead/ contribute to sarcopenia because they can trigger abnormalities within cells, as well as poor health conditions that can often lead to sarcopenia. For example, bed rest required for the recovery of cancer can lead to inactivity; a mentioned cause of sarcopenia.

 It’s vital to remember that, despite what these causes may suggest, a perfectly active and healthy adult can still develop the condition in their lifetime. This is among the reasons why it’s so crucial for everyone to be as informed as possible when it comes to sarcopenia.

Aside from the clearer risk of immobilization, as well as a possible decline in self-esteem due to sarcopenia, other major risk factors include:

• The worsening of prior conditions, such as liver and kidney disease, as well as cancer.
• Weight gain due to immobilization.
• Weakened bones as well as balance disruptions: leading to an increase in susceptibility to falls, as well as fractures, and breakages (unfortunately the two go hand-in-hand).
• Increased chances of accidental death.
• Increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
• Provokation of Osteoporosis (weakened bones, leading to more frequent fractures, as something as small as a sneeze, could result in injury).
• Weakened immune system responses, leading to worse and more frequent illness.
• And finally, outrageous expenses. With the increased possibility of being hospitalized, as well as the need for certain accommodations for ease of movement within your home (not to mention the high probability of the need for a long-term care facility), costs could skyrocket. It’s reported that the average sufferer of sarcopenia spends as much as $900, extra, on sarcopenia-related expenses (yikes!).

These risk factors reveal why it’s so important to prevent, slow, or reverse sarcopenia before it takes heavy tolls on your quality of life.

Prevention, Slowing, and Reversal

The most important thing you can do to combat sarcopenia is to keep your muscles moving, particularly through resistance training, walking, and aerobic exercise. To see results, you should gradually aim to do sarcopenia-relieving exercises a minimum of 2 times a week.

•  Resistance training maintains and builds muscle, as your muscles move against gravity or some sort of force (resistance); thickening muscle fibers and promoting the regeneration of muscle, as well as growth. Resistance training is, by far, the most effective exercising method when it comes to preventing, slowing, or reversing sarcopenia. The impact of resistance training on sarcopenia was shown through a study conducted on males from the ages of 48-72 that found that those who exercised 3 days per week, for 14 weeks (with the addition of protein) saw significant increases in muscle mass. Another study conducted on women who had already undergone menopause found that those who did 2 days of high-intensity resistance training for a period of ten weeks (with the addition of protein) had increases in muscle strength, as well as the thickness of muscle. Frequent resistance training has the potential to increase muscle mass up to 1.1 kg, according to one study. These results suggest that this form of exercise can be a powerful tool in preventing sarcopenia.

• Another great exercise that can both prevent and reverse sarcopenia is walking; something that doesn’t require any equipment at all! One particularly interesting study was conducted on Japanese men over the age of 65. The study found that walking for a period of six months, while gradually increasing the distance walked each month, resulted in an increase of cells that repair and build up muscle! Another interesting aspect of this study was that their findings revealed that the benefits were stronger in adults who were already frail and had less muscle mass, which is excellent news for people who are trying to reverse, or slow, sarcopenia! According to the study, in those who were already frail, skeletal muscle mass increased within the range of 0.1-0.2.

• Aerobic exercise (often recommended with the addition of resistance training), a form of exercise that can increase your heart rate, can also be beneficial in improving and preventing sarcopenia. One study was conducted on 439 obese and overweight postmenopausal women. The participants performed aerobic exercises for up to 45 minutes, each day for 5 days of the week. The study concluded that aerobic exercise was able to increase muscle mass, therefore, aerobic exercise can aid in preventing and slowing sarcopenia. Interestingly, 8 of the originally sarcopenic participants were no longer sarcopenic after the 12 month period of consistent aerobic exercise! Also, 6 of the originally sarcopenic participants who combined proper nutrition with aerobic exercise were no longer fit the qualifications for sarcopenia. According to the study, skeletal muscle mass showed an increase of 0.02 (km/m^2) in those with sarcopenia above the age of 60, and 0.09 (km/m^2) in those below the age of 60.

In addition to keeping your muscles moving, it’s also important to consider incorporating certain nutrients into your regime. These nutrients include protein, creatine, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

• Protein is one of the most important nutrients for fighting sarcopenia. Although it’s common knowledge that protein can help with muscle growth (with the addition of exercise, of course), it’s lesser-known that you should aim to find a protein source that includes elevated amounts of leucine. Reports have deduced that leucine (a component of protein) could encourage further muscle growth and strengthening and can be beneficial for those who are concerned about developing sarcopenia. Lucine can improve the absorption of protein and make improvements in regeneration! Some excellent sources of protein include chicken, salmon, and fish. If you’re concerned about which foods have good sources of protein (including options for vegetarians) and which don’t, you can visit: “What Are The Best Protein Sources?”. It’s recommended that (at least) 25-30 grams of protein are consumed during each meal, to combat sarcopenia.

• Creatine is one supplement that has been revealed to be beneficial to sarcopenia sufferers.  Creatine has shown promising results when consumed with the addition of exercise. However, creatine hasn’t been known to show much improvement without exercise, so you should consider your workout regime when looking into the results of creatine. A study conducted upon 357 older adults found that those who took creatine with the addition of resistance training saw a significant increase in the effectiveness of the training, as opposed to the training without creatine; suggesting that creatine, with the addition of exercise, such as resistance training, can be effective in elevating the positive results of exercise, helping those who want to prevent, slow, or reverse sarcopenia.

• Studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids can be used to aid in muscle growth. One interesting study found that those with sarcopenia had a lower intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, as opposed to those without. Another recent study found that elderly women and men taking Omega-3 fatty acids, daily, for a period of six months revealed an increase in thigh muscle volume and handgrip strength noticeably. These studies suggest that Omega-3 fatty acids could have an impact on preventing, and improving sarcopenia. Foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, soy milk, dairy, flaxseed, and cod liver oil, among others.

Conclusion

Now that you know the essential facts and statistics of sarcopenia, hopefully, you can move forward and prevent, slow, or reduce the problematic condition. It’s important to remember that walking, resistance training, and aerobics can help you achieve your specific goals of overcoming sarcopenia. It’s also important to remember that nutrients, such as protein, creatine, and omega-3 fatty acids, can also assist you in achieving said goals. If you begin your new regimen with your newly acquired knowledge, you should start to see and understand that muscle deterioration isn’t something that has to be inevitable for all adults. If you have any questions or need some personalized help reversing or preventing sarcopenia, fill out the application form on the home page.