From the time you are born to around the time you turn 30, your muscles grow larger and stronger. But at some point in your 30s, you start to lose muscle mass and function. The cause is age-related sarcopenia or sarcopenia with aging.
Physically inactive people can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you’ll still have some muscle loss.
There’s no test or specific level of muscle mass that will diagnose sarcopenia. Any loss of muscle matters because it lessens strength and mobility.
Sarcopenia typically happens faster around age 75. But it may also speed up as early as 65 or as late as 80. It’s a factor in frailty and the likelihood of falls and fractures in older adults.
Symptoms and Causes of Sarcopenia
Symptoms can include weakness and loss of stamina, which can interfere with physical activity. Reduced activity further shrinks muscle mass.
Although sarcopenia is seen mostly in people who are inactive, the fact that it also occurs in people who stay physically active suggests there are other factors in its development. Researchers believe these include:
- Reduction in nerve cells responsible for sending signals from the brain to the muscles to start movement
- Lower concentrations of some hormones, including growth hormone, testosterone, and insulin-like growth factor
- A decrease in the ability to turn protein into energy
- Not getting enough calories or protein each day to sustain muscle mass
Treatments for Sarcopenia
The primary treatment for sarcopenia is exercise, specifically resistance training or strength training. These activities increase muscle strength and endurance using weights or resistance bands.
Resistance training can help your neuromuscular system, hormones. It also can improve an older adult’s ability to convert protein to energy in as little as two weeks.
The proper number, intensity, and frequency of resistance exercise is important for getting the most benefit with the least risk of injury. You should work with an experienced physical therapist or trainer to develop an exercise plan.
Although medication is not the preferred treatment for sarcopenia, a few are being studied. They include:
- Urocortin II. This can prevent muscle atrophy that can happen when you’re in a cast or taking certain medicines. Its use for building muscle mass in humans has not been studied and isn’t recommended.
- Testosterone supplements
- Growth hormone supplements
- Medication for treatment of metabolic syndrome (including, insulin-resistance, obesity, and hypertension)
Sarcopenia: A condition characterized by progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function, typically associated with aging. It often results in decreased mobility, frailty, and increased risk of falls and fractures in older adults.
Resistance Training: A form of exercise that enhances muscle strength, endurance, and size by utilizing resistance against muscular contraction. This includes weightlifting, using resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises to build and maintain muscle mass.
Strength Training: Similar to resistance training, it involves exercises aimed at increasing muscle strength and overall physical strength by working against resistance. It focuses on improving muscular strength and power.
Neuromuscular System: The complex interaction between the nervous system and muscles, responsible for coordinating movement and maintaining balance and posture.
Hormones: Chemical messengers that regulate various bodily functions, including growth hormone, testosterone, and insulin-like growth factor, which play vital roles in muscle growth, repair, and maintenance.
Protein Conversion: The process by which proteins are broken down into amino acids and utilized by the body for energy production and muscle repair and growth.
Metabolic Syndrome: A cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It includes insulin resistance, obesity, high blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol levels.
Urocortin II: A compound studied for its potential to prevent muscle atrophy caused by factors like immobilization due to injury or certain medications, but its use in building muscle mass in humans has not been confirmed.
If these prove useful, you’ll use them with resistance exercise, not instead of it.