Contents:
- Medical Video: A simple way to break a bad habit | Judson Brewer
- What are the trigger factors for sarcopenia?
- 1. Lazy motion
- 2. A sedentary lifestyle
- 3. Unbalanced diet
- Chronic disease can also be a risk factor for sarcopenia
Medical Video: A simple way to break a bad habit | Judson Brewer
Sarcopenia is a condition of muscle degeneration with age. Sarcopenia occurs because of a clash between signals anabolism (formation) and catabolism (destruction) of muscle cells. As a result, there are more muscle cells destroyed than new ones. The effects or symptoms of sarcopenia are difficult for others to recognize. But sarcopenia sufferers usually experience body weakness that increases the time it runs frequently, decreases hand grip strength, decreases stamina, moves slower, loses motivation to move, and loses weight without obvious reasons.
Sarcopenia is a common condition in old age. You can lose 3% of muscle strength each year after 50 years of age. However, there are several factors that cause sarcopenia to occur earlier.
What are the trigger factors for sarcopenia?
1. Lazy motion
Sarcopenia often occurs in people who are not actively exercising, aka lazy to move. But sarcopenia can also occur in people who are active. Here are some reasons why some people can lose muscle mass:
- Decreased healthy nerve cells in the brain that function to send signals for the formation of muscle cells.
- Decreased concentration of several body hormones such as growth hormone, testosterone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF).
- Disorders of body function in digesting protein into energy.
- The body does not absorb enough calories and protein to maintain muscle mass.
2. A sedentary lifestyle
Muscles that have never been used for work are a strong factor in triggering sarcopenia. Muscle contraction when working with muscles is very necessary to maintain muscle mass and strengthen muscle cells. The condition of sarcopenia can appear on its own when a person has never exercised, or is experiencing a chronic illness or accident that causes him to rest in bed for a long time.
A period of two to three weeks of inactivity can lead to loss of muscle mass and muscle strength. Certain periods of inactivity have the potential to cause muscles to become weaker and make the body experience chronic fatigue. As a result, a person's activity level will tend to decrease and it will be increasingly difficult to return to the normal level of activity.
Lack of physical activity is the main cause that must be dealt with because muscle strength is very dependent on one's pattern of activity. Perform several types of exercise such as muscle strength training, such as lifting weights and aerobic exercise. If you have difficulty starting to actively move, try a type of light exercise such as regular walking.
3. Unbalanced diet
The way to prevent the risk of sarcopenia is to eat more high-protein foods. The balance between the adequacy of calories and protein intake is needed by the body to maintain muscle mass. But unfortunately with age, changes in diet and calorie intake tend to be difficult to avoid. This is due to a decrease in tongue sensitivity to taste food, difficulty digesting food, dental and oral health problems, or difficulties in accessing food ingredients. At least adults and elderly people need 25-30 grams of protein consumed each meal to maintain muscle mass.
Chronic disease can also be a risk factor for sarcopenia
Long duration of pain not only reduces the quality of health, but also a person's ability to move. This condition can lead to loss of muscle mass due to inflammation and stress in the body.
Inflammation is a normal condition that usually occurs after a person experiences an illness or injury. Inflammation has the role of sending signals to the body to carry out cell regeneration. Nevertheless chronic disease conditions can cause a long-term inflammatory process that interferes with the formation of new muscle cells and triggers the loss of muscle mass. Chronic inflammation that can reduce muscle mass can occur in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, severe burns, and chronic tuberculosis.
Chronic diseases can also trigger sarcopenia due to severe stress. Stress can aggravate the inflammation process and reduce the mood for activity. Heavy stress that can trigger sarcopenia tends to be experienced by people with kidney disease, chronic heart failure and cancer patients.
