Preventing sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is the natural and progressive loss of muscle fiber due to aging.

It is often called the muscle wasting disease. Starting at age 45, muscle mass begins to decline at a rate of about one percent per year.

Dr. Nair, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, is a leading researcher on muscle metabolism and its role in aging. His research shows that sarcopenia is closely involved in activating the aging process.

Muscle protein production begins to slow down in people as they age which affects muscle function.

Muscle fiber also declines with age. Fewer muscle fibers result in less muscle mass.

As muscle and its protein content diminish, muscles become fatigued more easily.

This leads to a sedentary lifestyle. If this slow down in activity and muscle metabolism isn’t reversed, the slide toward sarcopenia begins.

This sounds very depressing but the good news is we can prevent sarcopenia through exercise, diet, and maintaining an adequate Vitamin D level.

Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University have shown that resistance or strength training can reverse sarcopenia and frailty in the elderly.

Strength training helps older adults keep their muscle mass and bone density, which in turn maintains their ability to climb stairs, clean house, grocery shop and do other activities of daily living.

Examples of strength or resistance training include weight lifting, using resistance bands, water aerobic workouts, or using the body as a weight as in push-ups or squats.

Another component to preventing sarcopenia is to moderately increase protein intake. Approximately 25 to 40 percent of adults have dietary protein intakes below the current Recommended Daily Allowance of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Moderately increasing dietary protein to 1.0-1.3 gm/kg enhances muscle protein anabolism and reduces the progressive loss of muscle mass with age. Diets containing a moderate amount of high quality protein do not appear to be associated with any negative health outcomes.

Very high protein diets are not recommended and could cause a decline in renal function in those with chronic kidney disease.

Recent research studies suggest the Vitamin D inadequacy may be a factor in the loss of muscle mass and muscle strength. Several population-based studies have shown better musculoskeletal function in the lower extremities of both active and sedentary adults 60 years or older when Vitamin D levels were in the normal range.