Physiopathological mechanism of sarcopenia

Clin Geriatr Med. 2011 Aug;27(3):365-85. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2011.03.005.

Abstract

The etiology of sarcopenia is multifactorial but still poorly understood, and the sequelae of this phenomenon represent a major public health issue. Age-related loss of muscle mass can be counteracted by adequate metabolic interventions including nutritional intake and exercise training. Other strategies including changes in daily protein pattern, the speed of protein digestion, or specific amino acid supplementation may be beneficial to improve short-term muscle anabolic response in elderly people. A multimodal approach combining nutrition, exercise, hormones, and specific anabolic drugs may be an innovative treatment for limiting the development of sarcopenia with aging.

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / physiology*
  • Body Composition
  • Dietary Proteins / metabolism*
  • Exercise
  • Female
  • Hormones / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Life Style
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Muscle, Skeletal / metabolism
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology*
  • Obesity / complications
  • Sarcopenia / etiology
  • Sarcopenia / physiopathology*
  • Sarcopenia / therapy

Substances

  • Dietary Proteins
  • Hormones