New horizons in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of sarcopenia
Open accessAbstract
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. It is now recognised as a major clinical problem for older people and research in the area is expanding exponentially. One of the most important recent developments has been convergence in the operational definition of sarcopenia combining measures of muscle mass and strength or physical performance. This has been accompanied by considerable progress in understanding of pathogenesis from animal models of sarcopenia. Well-described risk factors include age, gender and levels of physical activity and this knowledge is now being translated into effective management strategies including resistance exercise with recent interest in the additional role of nutritional intervention. Sarcopenia is currently a major focus for drug discovery and development although there remains debate about the best primary outcome measure for trials, and various promising avenues to date have proved unsatisfactory. The concept of 'new tricks for old drugs' is, however, promising, for example, there is some evidence that the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors may improve physical performance. Future directions will include a deeper understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of sarcopenia and the application of a lifecourse approach to understanding aetiology as well as to informing the optimal timing of interventions.
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The best types of exercise for sarcopenia have not been established because the effect sizes of different exercise types on patient-important outcomes are unclear.
“However, exercise programmes for sarcopenia vary widely in type (resistance, aerobic, balance training or multicomponent, etc.), and the best types of exercise for this population have not been established because the effect sizes of different exercise types on patient‐important outcomes are unclear. 21”
From Exercise for sarcopenia in older people: A systematic review and network meta‐analysis (2023) · cites this paper as [21]
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- Authors
- Sayer, A. A., Robinson, S. M., Patel, H. P., Shavlakadze, T., Cooper, C., & Grounds, M. D.
- Affiliations
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (GB)
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Sayer, A. A.
- Venue
- Age and Ageing
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-01-11
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 145-150
- ISSN
- 0002-0729 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2834
- PMC
- PMC3575121
- OpenAlex
- W2137000539
- Cited by
- 290
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 34 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 3.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Age and Ageing (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (ACF-2008-26-006, NF-SI-0508-10082)
- Versus Arthritis (17413, 13181, 13157, 13147, 16349, 17702, 17265, 16095, 13230, 13085)
- Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12011/2, MC_UU_12011/1)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Frailty in Older Adults
- Keywords
- sarcopenia, skeletal muscle atrophy, muscle strength, physical performance, risk factors, resistance training, dietary intervention, drug development, ACE inhibitors, older adults, intervention timing
- MeSH terms
- Age Factors, Aging, Animals, Diet, Humans, Nutritional Status, Organ Size, Prognosis, Risk Factors, Exercise, Muscle, Skeletal, Risk Reduction Behavior, Muscle Strength, Sarcopenia
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