Exercise Can Reverse Sarcopenia
The best way to fight off sarcopenia is to keep the muscles active. While all exercises are beneficial, some are better than others.
1. Resistance Training
Resistance training, such as pulling against resistance bands, moving part of the body against gravity, and weightlifting, are extremely beneficial tools against sarcopenia.
When performing these exercises, the tension on the muscles results in growth signals that boost strength. Resistance exercise is also known to boost the actions of growth-promoting hormones.
A study done on 57 adults aged 65-94 has shown that doing resistance exercises three times weekly increased muscle strength over the course of 3 months.
2. Fitness Training
Aerobic exercise and endurance training also keep sarcopenia under check. Multiple studies on aerobic exercise for the prevention of muscle loss have also included flexibility and resistance training. These combinations have been proven many times to effectively prevent and reverse muscle loss.
3. Walking
A study involving 227 Japanese individuals over 65 years old discovered that 6 months of walking notably increased muscle loss. The distance between the participants was different, but they were asked to increase their daily distance by 10 percent each month.
Four Nutrients That Fight Sarcopenia
1. Protein
It has been scientifically shown that eating at least 35 grams of protein at each meal significantly increased muscle growth.
2. Vitamin D
While the best dose of vitamin D for preventing sarcopenia is unclear, there is no doubt that supplementation with this nutrient does boost muscle growth and strength.
3. Omega-3 fats
It has been scientifically shown that the combination of daily 2-gram fish oil supplement and resistance training increased muscle strength even more than the training without fish oil.
4. Creatine
When participants in one study on the topic took creatine, they reaped more benefits from resistance training compared to when they didn’t take creatine along with exercising.
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