Sarcopenia Research Paper

“Declines in muscle mass and muscle strength are expected aspects of aging.”(1) Although each individual experiences loss in strength and muscle mass as they grow older, there are extreme amounts of variability from person to person. Sarcopenia is clinically defined as the loss of muscle strength (~30% to 50%) to the point that it impacts one’s ability to perform daily living tasks. Sarcopenia is associated with many health consequences such as obesity, osteoporosis as well as type II diabetes; but the pathophysiology of sarcopenia is extremely complex and not yet fully understood. If the etiology of Sarcopenia is discovered, it could not only be managed but also prevented. This review article examines the effects of resistance training and supplemental interventions on the maintenance of muscle mass/muscle strength during the aging process.
It’s well understood that short time periods of resistance training and nutrition supplementation (separately) have increased muscle mass and function in aging individuals; but the question still remains if these two interventions can be combined. Muscle outcomes were recorded from 17 studies, 15 of these studies examined muscle strength and physical performance, with the combination of an individual supplement (supplements included additional amino acids, protein-enriched drinks, doses of
“The institute of medicine recommends a daily dietary input of between (15%-35%) of protein, but the median protein intake is approximately 15%, which is well below the upper limit” (2) The amount of daily protein, particularly with the factor of aging, was not considered with developing these recommendations. The goal of my annotated bibliography is to research if an increased in the intake of protein (>35%) and essential amino acids in one’s diet, along with an exercise regimen can prevent the development of