What is Sarcopenia & How Live Your Life Can Help

What is Sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia is defined as an age-related, involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength.¹ The loss of skeletal mass starts in the 4^th decade of life with up to 50% of this mass being lost by the 8^th decade of life.¹ Reduced strength and muscle bulk can lead to loss of function, adverse health outcomes, disability, and frailty.¹ The most common symptoms of sarcopenia include: loss of stamina, difficulty with daily activities and performing stairs, slowed walking speed, poor balance, increase in falls, and visible reduction in muscle bulk.² Physical inactivity, obesity, chronic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and malnutrition including inadequate protein intake can all increase your risk of developing sarcopenia.¹ Treatment for sarcopenia include lifestyle changes like increasing your level of physical activity and incorporating a healthy diet.²

How Live Your Life Can Help?

• Physical Therapy: Progressive resistance training (PRT) has been shown to improve function in older adults including when performing activities like getting up and down from a chair or climbing up and down the stairs in addition to improvements seen in walking speed.³ Moreover, progressive resistance training has been shown to improve independence with other daily activities like cooking or performing self-cares like bathing.³ Learn more about our in-home physical therapy services.
• Dietary Services: Randomized controlled trials have suggested a key role of dietary protein intake in preventing sarcopenia and muscle loss.⁴ Research recommends that an older adult intake of protein should be between 1-1.3 gram of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day (one kilogram ~ 2.2 pounds).⁵ Live Your Life offers the services of a Registered Dietitian to help you develop the tools and techniques to improve your health and well-being. Learn more about our dietary services at Live Your Life Minnesota.

If you or a loved have been diagnosed with sarcopenia or you are heading into the golden ages of your life, contact us today for a free consultation on how our Live Your Life services can improve your overall health and wellness!

References

¹Walston JD. Sarcopenia in older adults. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2012;24(6):623-627. doi:10.1097/BOR.0b013e328358d59b

²Cleveland Clinic. Sarcopenia (Muscle Loss): Symptoms & Causes. Cleveland Clinic. Published June 3, 2022. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23167-sarcopenia

³Liu C, Latham NK. Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2009;3(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd002759.pub2

⁴Ganapathy A, Nieves JW. Nutrition and Sarcopenia-What Do We Know?. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1755. Published 2020 Jun 11. doi:10.3390/nu12061755

⁵Nowson C, O’Connell S. Protein Requirements and Recommendations for Older People: A Review. Nutrients. 2015;7(8):6874-6899. Published 2015 Aug 14. doi:10.3390/nu7085311