As we age, we begin to lose muscle mass. The good news is that age-related muscle loss and frailty are not necessarily inevitable. Whether you’re a serious athlete or you enjoy working out a few times a week, you’re strengthening muscle, no matter what your age.

What is Sarcopenia?

Around age 45 muscle mass begins to decline at a rate of about 1 percent per year. Frailty, called sarcopenia (“sarco” for flesh, or muscle, and “penia” for loss), results from muscle loss. Although the cause of sarcopenia is not known for sure, researchers at Tufts University believe that it’s due to a gradual loss of nerve cells that link the brain to the muscles. In turn, a loss of chemical connections causes a loss of muscle cells. Also a factor, hormones that stimulate muscle growth (estrogen, testosterone, and growth hormone) decline as we age.

Get the Right Nutrients

To combat sarcopenia, consume sufficient amounts of protein, which is required for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all cells. Estimates show that one-third of people over 60 don’t get the protein their bodies need. Anyone who exercises regularly needs protein to maintain muscle mass during exercise and for muscle repair and recovery after exercise. “If daily protein intake isn’t enough, the body uses muscle as a resource for amino acids—the building blocks of protein,” says Carmen Castaneda-Sceppa, MD, PhD, head of the Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, and Sarcopenia Laboratory at Tufts.

Pump Some Iron

You need more than diet and nutrients, however, to prevent (or reverse) muscle loss. Lifting weights builds muscle by forcing your body to heal the damaged muscle cells that your efforts create. Muscle proteins adapt to weight training at any age. “The muscles rebuild protein, and that makes the cell stronger,” says sarcopenia researcher William Evans, PhD. Strength training is especially beneficial for older individuals, since it not only provides muscle, but also the vigor that goes along with being stronger. Improving stamina, strength, balance, and coordination also reduces the risk of falling. Weight training can restore muscle quality and mass in elderly adults as well as those in middle age.

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