Is the decrease in muscle mass and strength caused by inactivity, aging (sarcopenia), malnutrition, or diseases. Symptoms include visibly smaller muscles, weakness, and reduced balance. Treatment involves resistance exercise, proper nutrition, and managing underlying conditions to prevent further weakness and improve independence.
Symptoms of Muscle Atrophy
- Smaller Muscle Size: One arm or leg may look smaller than the other.
- Weakness: Difficulty with everyday tasks like rising from a chair or lifting objects.
- Reduced Physical Function: General fatigue, loss of balance (grip), and increased risk of falling or broken bones.
Causes and Risk Factors
- Disuse/Physiologic Atrophy: Lack of physical activity, such as being bedridden, living a sedentary lifestyle, or having a desk job.
- Sarcopenia - poverty of flesh - (Age-Related): Beginning around age 30, adults can lose 3–5% of muscle mass per decade, with loss becoming more rapid after age 60.
- Malnutrition: Lack of sufficient protein intake.
- Medical Conditions/Neurogenic Atrophy: Nerve damage, stroke, cancer, COPD, liver disease, or muscular dystrophy.
Prevention and Treatment
- Resistance Training: Regular, progressive resistance exercise is the most effective way to build muscle and stop atrophy.
- Nutrition: Ensuring adequate, high-quality protein consumption and vitamin D intake.
- Keep Moving: Reducing sedentary time, even with simple movements like walking.
- Physical Therapy: Specific exercises to improve strength and mobility.
The aging process compromises muscle cells' ability to repair damage done to them, meaning human bodies lose muscle cells as they age. Seniors who work at it, however, can still make strength gains. “Research shows that, even into your late 80s, your body still has the potential to build muscle mass
Key Differences
- Sarcopenia: sar-ko-PEE-ne-a Specifically refers to the loss of muscle mass and strength (fragility) related to aging.
Difficulty:
- Poor balance / fatigue / walking / standing / sitting-up in a chair
Due to:
- Hormonal changes / lack of physical activity / aging process
- Muscle Atrophy: A broader term for the reduction in muscle size, which can be caused by disease or disuse at any age.
Muscle Strength
Metabolic rate
Metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions in the body that convert food and drink into energy, powering everything from breathing and thinking to repairing cells. It is a continuous process—even at rest—that breaks down nutrients for fuel and builds essential molecules for life.
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