Age-Related Sarcopenia and Recovery Following Muscle Disuse

Aging coincides with frequent periods of muscle disuse and, when combined with subsequent poor muscle recovery, contributes to sarcopenia, loss of muscle during aging. In order to develop effective interventions to offset deficits in muscle mass and function, Micah Drummond, PhD, and colleagues studied the cellular and molecular events that accompany muscle disuse in older adults. They found that older adults are more susceptible to losing muscle mass and strength during disuse than young persons because of reduced protein synthesis and increased protein breakdown in the muscle. To intervene during disuse periods, they implemented therapeutic tools (e.g. protein supplementation and neuromuscular electrical stimulation) that increase protein synthesis and moderate muscle breakdown. Although weakness persisted, this dual treatment was successful in maintaining muscle mass. Their research suggests that current countermeasures will need to be refined, and new pharmacological agents explored, to maintain full muscle functionality during muscle disuse in older people.