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How To Prevent Sarcopenia & Retain Muscle As You Age

Emma Loewe
Author:
March 05, 2024
Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
By Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us."
Woman working out using body weight
Image by Studio Firma / Stocksy
March 05, 2024
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On the left side of the screen, a young woman pushes through a set of dead lifts, her arms sweating under the weight of heavy dumbbells. On the right, an older woman bends over to lift a pair of grocery bags with ease. "I do this when I'm younger," reads the on-screen text, "so I can do this when I'm older."

This type of workout motivation video can now be found all over TikTok and Instagram—a new form of fitspo that speaks to the growing awareness that resistance exercise is essential for preventing sarcopenia and promoting healthy aging.

What is sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia (from the Greek sarx, "flesh," and penia, "poverty") describes the rapid loss of muscle mass and function.

Studies estimate that between 5%1 and 16% of people over the age of 65 have sarcopenia, though board-certified obesity medicine physician Ali Novitsky, M.D., thinks it may be even more common than research suggests. "By the age of 60, I would say on average, it affects 20% of people. By the time we hit 80, it's about 50%," she tells mindbodygreen.

It's difficult to know sarcopenia's true prevalence, Novitsky notes, since most people don't regularly test their muscle health. (You can't tell just by looking at someone how much muscle they have; different body types will store muscle differently.)

If you want to track changes in musculature, you'll have to shell out for a dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan at the doctor or at-home body composition scale like INBODY. Experts note that we need more accessible tools, and some are working to develop an affordable standardized test for muscle health—but this is likely years away.

In the meantime, all of us (particularly women) need to be cognizant of how much muscle we have, as sarcopenia puts us at increased risk of cognitive decline2, increased susceptibility to infection3, and metabolic syndrome4.

"Under-musculature also affects your balance so much, and that can lead to falls," Maria Williams, M.S., R.D., L.D., a sports nutritionist at the University of Georgia (UGA), adds. Sarcopenia is correlated with osteoporosis5, which can also predispose people to potentially devastating falls.

The evidence is clear: If you want to age healthily and comfortably, staving off sarcopenia is key.

Sarcopenia in women vs. men

Research shows that women tend to present with sarcopenia earlier than men, likely due to hormonal differences. Novitsky explains that building and maintaining muscle becomes more difficult as estrogen levels decrease during the menopause transition. Estrogen changes can also cause anxiety, depression, and extreme fatigue—which can make going to the gym feel impossible.

Is it preventable?

Williams predicts that sarcopenia will only become more common in the future as people are increasingly sedentary and tethered to technology. The rise of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic could also indirectly contribute to declines in muscle mass. Novitsky, who often works with patients on GLP-1s, notes that up to 25% of every pound of weight lost can be lean mass if the medications aren't paired with a healthy lifestyle.

Even though sarcopenia is relatively common (and might become even more so in the coming years), it's by no means inevitable. Starting around age 30, it's natural to lose ~1% of lean muscle mass6 per year, but experts note that, with the right habits, you don't need to lose any more than this.

Signs you're losing muscle

People who are rapidly losing muscle may notice changes in their endurance and find that they fatigue more easily than they used to. Poor balance, unexplained fat gain, and susceptibility to prolonged illness may also signal that you're under-muscled.

Here are the four best ways to build a strong bank of muscle and continue to make deposits in it through the years to prevent sarcopenia.

How to reduce your risk of sarcopenia

1.

Strength train a few times a week (even if it's just for a couple of minutes)

While cardio comes with tons of benefits, strength training is essential for muscle protein synthesis (the growth of new muscle).

Resistance training (with or without weights) three days a week is more than enough to improve muscle strength and function, notes personal trainer and athlete Angela Gargano. She prefers splitting up workouts into one upper-body day, one lower-body day, and one full-body day—each one incorporating simple moves that can gradually be leveled up over time.

For example, you might start with a standard squat with no weights. Over the course of a few weeks, you can introduce light weights, increase your number of reps, or try more challenging variations like a kickstand squat, sumo squat, or pause squat. You can test how many squats you can do in one minute every six weeks or so to track your progress and stay motivated to keep advancing.

This is just one approach, and at the end of the day, Gargano says, "You need to do something you're excited to show up and do." Play around to find a resistance training routine you enjoy—and don't feel like you need to spend hours in the gym doing it.

"People aren't consistent enough because they fall into the all-or-none mindset. They think if they don't have an hour, it's not going to work so they just don't do it at all," Novitsky says. "In reality, consistency is the key... If you strength train for 10 minutes, three days a week, you will improve longevity and functionality."

2.

Eat high-quality protein at every meal

You can't build muscle without protein. While your protein requirements will vary depending on your age, activity level, etc., Williams says that most people should aim to eat 25-30 grams at each meal and 15 grams with each snack to promote muscle health.

Spacing out your protein—versus eating most of it at dinner, as many Americans do—ensures that your body gets a steady source of the amino acids it needs to rebuild muscle following exercise. Meat, dairy, and animal proteins tend to be better at stimulating muscle growth7, she notes, but tofu, quinoa, and pea protein are considered high-quality plant-based sources.

If you struggle to hit your daily quota—a problem many women might face after being conditioned to believe that "eating less" is the best way to be healthy—Gargano recommends slowly adding a few more grams of protein to breakfast to start, moving on to other meals as you get more comfortable. Research shows that supplementing with leucine-rich whey protein powder, which may be more palatable for people with lighter appetites, can also help combat sarcopenia and improve muscle mass8.

3.

Take your recovery as seriously as your workouts

Though we may be able to bounce from tough workout to tough workout when we're young, as we age, our recovery becomes just as important as our exercise.

"Your body needs time to heal to get stronger," says Gargano. "So treat your recovery days the same way you treat your workout days. If you recover just as hard as you train, you'll see a huge difference." Stretching, tending to sore muscles, taking recovery days as you need them, and sleeping enough each night are essential.

4.

Find a community

Lastly, Novitsky says that if you can find a community to keep you on track, all the better. As you build strength, you'll inevitably skip a workout or need to wolf down a meal with a less-than-stellar nutrition profile, and your support system can be there to remind you that nobody's perfect. Alternatively, your network can help keep you accountable to your goals if you start to stray.

The takeaway

To combat accelerated muscle loss, doing resistance training, eating enough protein, and keeping up with recovery are key. The more we can prioritize strength from a young age, the better equipped we'll be to greet our later years with power and confidence—so let's make sure to bestow these tips to the next generation too.

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