Sarcopenia: Physical Activity and Exercises

- or muscle atrophy - is a degenerative phenomenon of skeletal muscle that can occur during aging and in the presence of risk factors such as: immobility, nutritional deficiency of essential amino acids (AAE) and energy (kcal), and any pathologies or alterations organ functions (liver, kidneys, intestines, etc.).

Sarcopenia is the result of an imbalance between normal muscle breakdown and what "should" be an equally physiological capacity for self-regeneration. In sarcopenic, however, the muscle struggles to repair itself as it should - due to some changes in what are called signaling pathways for muscle synthesis.

Sarcopenia is distinguished from cachexia, an apparently similar disease, precisely on the basis of this mechanism. In fact, in cachexia, what happens is an "alteration of the levels of inflammatory chemical mediators called cytokines - even if in some cases sarcopenia and cachexia coexist in the same patient.

Almost always characterized by progression and aggravation, sarcopenia is a frequent cause of disability, which in the elderly determines a reduction in quality and life expectancy - it is considered an important component in frailty syndrome.

but specific to the needs of the elderly;

Complete motor training but adequate for geriatric needs.

ATTENTION! Before going into detail, it should be noted that the treatment of sarcopenia must necessarily include both of these factors. Acting on a single element would have limited effectiveness, although obviously the working margin depends on the specific conditions of the subject.

In the next paragraphs we will go into more detail but in this article we will focus more on physical activity and exercises. For more information regarding nutrition and diet, consult our specific articles.

is a significant risk factor for sarcopenia, and that exercise can significantly slow the rate of skeletal muscle loss.

The therapeutic mechanism of physical activity on sarcopenia consists of a real tissue-specific anti-aging effect. Aging normally leads to a reduction in the ability to synthesize muscle proteins, which consequently leads to the depletion of the contractile organ.

By practicing physical activity, on the other hand, the opposite effect is obtained. Motor exercise applies a stressful stimulus to the muscle which, due to the supercompensation, is induced to increase in functionality, therefore in trophism (protein synthesis) and contractile efficiency - which also implies an "optimization of the nerve signal transmission.