Ageing is an inevitable part of life.
The world is ageing rapidly. By 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years and above.
One of the greatest human accomplishments of the past century was the increase in life expectancy. However, as more people live longer, there is also a worrying gap between lifespan and healthspan.
It was estimated that humans spent approximately 9.6 years burdened by disease and poor health at old age.
As we age, physical function naturally declines leading to dependence and disability.
One of the hallmarks of ageing is muscle loss. No tissue deteriorates with age as profoundly as skeletal muscle.
Sarcopenia was a term coined in 1989 by Irwin Rosenberg to recognise age-related loss of muscle mass.
Muscle mass begins to decline after age 30 at an average rate of about 0.8% per year.
The rate of muscle loss is uneven, with lower limb muscles shrinking more than twice as fast as upper limb
Age-related muscle strength declines much faster than the corresponding loss of muscle mass. On average, muscle strength decreases by 2-4% per year.
Similarly, strength loss with age is greater in the lower limbs than in the upper limbs.
Since lower limb muscles are essential for mobility, their weakening can significantly impact independence and quality of life.
It has been posited that muscle power, the ability to generate force quickly, is most relevant to performing daily activities of living such as standing up from a chair.
Muscle power decreases with age at a much faster rate as compared to muscle strength and muscle mass, which is associated with increased risk of functional decline.
All hope is not lost. You may slow down the ageing trajectory with good nutrition and physical activity.
Exercise is medicine. Progressive resistance training is the magic pill to counteract age-related loss of muscle.
Take action now and extend your healthspan.
References
Garmany, A., & Terzic, A. (2024). Global healthspan-lifespan gaps among 183 World Health Organization member states. JAMA Network Open, 7(12), e2450241. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.50241.
Janssen, T. A., Lowisz, C. V., & Phillips, S. (2024). From Molecular To Physical Function: The Aging Trajectory. Current Research in Physiology, 100138. doi: 10.1016/j.crphys.2024.100138
Mitchell, W. K., Williams, J., Atherton, P., Larvin, M., Lund, J., & Narici, M. (2012). Sarcopenia, dynapenia, and the impact of advancing age on human skeletal muscle size and strength; a quantitative review. Frontiers in Physiology, 3, 260. doi:10.3389/fphys.2012.00260