Muscle protein turnover in the elderly and its potential contribution to the development of sarcopenia

This month’s featured paper is from Proceedings of the Nutrition Society and is entitled ‘Muscle protein turnover in the elderly and its potential contribution to the development of sarcopenia’.  The authors consider the importance of protein intake in the elderly and its role in preventing frailty. One of the most striking changes that we associate with ageing is the increasing development of frailty, which in later years can become so debilitating that it impacts on an individual’s ability to lead an independent life. This is a source of substantial stress for afflicted individuals and often places a considerable burden on relatives and healthcare providers alike. With the projected rise in the elderly population in future decades, the challenges faced by society of supporting frail elderly individuals are only set to increase. This sobering reality has helped focus efforts towards understanding the nutritional, physiological and molecular basis for the development of frailty in the elderly, with several notable advancements made in recent years. Ageing is accompanied by a notable loss of muscle mass and represents a major component of the frailty that develops. While decreased physical activity in the elderly inevitably contributes to the gradual loss of muscle, evidence suggests that the decline in muscle size and strength starts to occur as early as our late-thirties. This highlights the likely existence of a biological factor for the loss of muscle mass, rather...
Source: The Nutrition Society - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: news