Sarcopenia: What is it and why it matters?
12 Sep 2022FixingChickenhealth
Sarcopenia is the muscle loss that comes with aging. This kind of muscle atrophy can be accelerated by lack of
movement or mobility.
Sarcopenia typically starts in your 30's, when people start to lose between 3-5% of muscle per decade. This rate of muscle loss accelerates as you get older with a noticeable increase in speed at around 75. Of course everyone is different, so the different stages can occur earlier or later.
Even if you exercise regularly and are an active individual, you'll still experience muscle loss, however it will probably be on the lower limits. It is important to try and reduce the rate at which the muscles deteriorate. Exercise level, co-morbidities,
nutrition and other factors can influence the rate of muscle loss.
Why is it bad to lose muscle as we age?
Loss of muscle reduces strength and mobility. Both the quality and the strength of the muscle deteriorate. This
results in reduced quality of life. As you lose muscle strength and quality, falls can become more likely which can result to fractures, disabilities or an acceleration towards death if
the body is unable to heal properly after a fall.
What can I do to minimize this muscle loss?
Keep yourself strong and healthy. The key to being able to exercise in your older years it to start when you're younger and stick to it into old age. However, if you haven't done so, don't give up. You can still exercise but you need to take care in the beginning
to build it up gradually and avoid injuries.
Be sure to include strength training in your exercise routine, as opposed to only doing cardio focused exercises. In addition, focus on mobility so that you retain as much range of motion as possible as you get older. This will help you move better in general, thereby helping reduce your muscle decay, and it will help reduce joint problems which also increase as we get older.
And last but not least: Eat your vegetables! Make sure you have a well balanced and healthy diet. Nutrition is important to avoid muscle deterioration and also to avoid co-morbidities.
Sources:
- https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/sarcopenia-with-aging
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcopenia