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When we think about muscles, we often think about bodybuilders and avid gym bros. But muscles for the average person matter a lot as well, especially if you\u2019re 50 years old and above.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Muscles are needed for the most basic of everyday tasks. Like getting up from a chair, climbing the stairs, or carrying your groceries home from the market \u2013 activities that you may take for granted in your early years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as you age, that independence can be slowly eroded by sarcopenia, otherwise known as age-related muscle loss. Your body\u2019s ability to build and repair muscle becomes less efficient due to changes in \u201cmuscle protein synthesis, declining levels of hormones that support muscle growth, and reduced physical activity\u201d, said Clinical Associate Professor Frederick Koh, Sengkang General Hospital\u2019s Deputy Research Director.<\/p>\n
As a result, your \u201cskeletal muscles gradually reduce in size and mass as the muscle fibres shrink and are lost over time\u201d, he said. \u201cAdditionally, fat may accumulate within and around the muscles, resulting in poorer muscle quality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thing is, you can\u2019t tell from the outside. Your body doesn\u2019t appear any differently in shape nor circumference, \u201cresulting in sarcopenia remaining undetected till a much later stage\u201d, said Dr Koh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Consider the numbers. In those aged 60 years and above, the condition is estimated to affect approximately one in three adults. However, \u201csarcopenia is not solely a condition of older adults\u201d, said Dr Koh. From age 40 onwards, you\u2019re losing up to 8 per cent of your muscle mass per decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve only just entered your third decade of life and thinking: I still have some ways to go before sarcopenia affects me \u2013 it actually starts where you are. Your body loses 3 to 5 per cent of your muscles per decade after the age of 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing data from the PRECISE-SG100K cohort, we observed that approximately 25 per cent of adults below 39 years old had sarcopenia.\u201d For context, PRECISE-SG100K is a large-scale Asian population cohort dataset in Singapore that contains data from approximately 100,000 residents aged 21 to 84.<\/p>\n
In fact, Dr Agnes Siew Ling Tey, a Volwiler associate research fellow in Clinical Science and Nutrition at Abbott Nutrition Research and Development, said that in some individuals, sarcopenia may even start in their 20s. \u201cSome young adults may already have lower than optimal levels because of physical inactivity, inadequate good nutrition, or underlying health conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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