As people age, they may feel like they aren’t quite as strong as they once were. It’s likely because of a condition called sarcopenia. This disease affects older adults and causes muscle loss. Some muscle loss is inevitable, but there are steps you can take to prevent or even reverse it to a certain degree.
If you are feeling weaker or more fragile in your older age, it’s time to consider sarcopenia and what you can do about it. Read on in this article to learn more about this disease and the steps you can take to regain some of that lost muscle to lead a healthy and active life.
What is Sarcopenia?
Sarcopenia directly translates to “loss of flesh.” It’s a common condition that affects 10-percent of people over the age of 50 years reports Healthline. The source continues to say, “After middle age, adults lose 3-percent of their muscle strength every year, on average. This limits their ability to perform many routine activities.” Sarcopenia can shorten life expectancy when compared to people without the disease.
According to Healthline, “sarcopenia is caused by an imbalance between signals for muscle cell growth and signals for teardown. Cell growth processes are called “anabolism,” and cell teardown processes are called “catabolism.” As the body ages, it becomes resistant to the growth signals which causes more muscle loss through catabolism.