1 in 3 adults over 50 suffer progressive muscle loss, new research shows
Introduction
Are you exercising regularly and encouraging your family friends, and followers to do likewise?
New findings published in “Age and Ageing” and reported in “Eureka Alert” show that approximately one out of three adults age 50 and older suffer from sarcopenia, a condition when a person experiences and strength that could interfere with aging adults’ ability to live a full and active life.
Key findings
The research found that adults who increased resistance exercise,
and incorporated specific nutrition into their diet showed improved muscle mass, function and strength.
As our life-expectancy increases, we naturally want to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle for as long as possible; after all what’s the point of living longer if you are not healthy and mobile?
In spite of the prevalence of sarcopenia, the paper found that adults who regularly undertook strength or resistance exercise and incorporated specific nutrition into their diet showed improved muscle mass, function and strength.
The authors of the research say that whilst “Most people think that sarcopenia only impacts people in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, these findings show that is simply not the case,”
Maintaining muscle mass and strength is critical as we age. The article states that “On average, adults lose eight percent of their muscle per decade starting at age 40; (and) that rate accelerates to 15 percent per decade starting around age 70.”
In addition to a proper exercise routine maintain a healthy diet is also important.
The nutritional needs of people over 50 are different from those of younger age groups. Good nutrition will play a very important role in living a long healthy life.
Eating foods such as fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts, and whole grains protects against many chronic conditions that could limit your life. You also need to ensure that you drink adequate quantities of water.
Conclusion
The key take-aways from the study are, to be honest, not surprising. It is well known that regular exercise, both a resistance exercise program and an aerobic exercise routine, coupled with a healthy diet, are the two most important elements of a healthy lifestyle for older people if they want to live a long healthy life.
To find out more about resistance training, click this link to read my post “Why resistance training is important”
For guidance on exactly what is a healthy diet for older people, I recommend you review my cornerstone post “Nutrition for a long healthy life”
I hope you find this post and the summary of the research (see link to PDF below) useful, please feel free to let me know if you have any comments or questions by posting a comment below in the “Have Your Say” Box.
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You can read the source article in “Eureka Alert” here, and you can also access a pdf of the Research paper published in “Age and Ageing.” There is a link to that PDF in Reference 3, at the end of the “Eureka Alert” article. N.b. this paper is quite technical and detailed unless this area is of special interest to you.