Sarcopenia, also known as muscle loss, is a common condition that affects 10% of adults who are over 50 years old.

While it can decrease life expectancy and quality of life, there are actions you can take to prevent and even reverse the condition. Learn more….

Although some of the causes of sarcopenia are a natural consequence of aging, others are preventable. In fact, a healthy diet and regular exercise can reverse sarcopenia, increasing lifespan and quality of life.

This article explains what causes sarcopenia, and lists many ways you can fight it.

What Is Sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia literally means “lack of flesh.” It’s a condition of age-associated muscle degeneration that becomes more common in people over the age of 50.

After middle age, adults lose 3% of their muscle strength every year, on average. This limits their ability to perform many routine activities (1, 2, 3).

Unfortunately, sarcopenia also shortens life expectancy in those it affects, compared to individuals with normal muscle strength (4, 5).

Sarcopenia is caused by an imbalance between signals for muscle cell growth and signals for teardown. Cell growth processes are called “anabolism,” and cell teardown processes are called “catabolism” (6).

For example, growth hormones act with protein-destroying enzymes to keep muscle steady through a cycle of growth, stress or injury, destruction and then healing.

This cycle is always occurring, and when things are in balance, muscle keeps its strength over time.

However, during aging, the body becomes resistant to the normal growth signals, tipping the balance toward catabolism and muscle loss (1, 7).

Exercise Can Reverse Sarcopenia

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