Is it possible to suffer from sarcopenia if you have a mountain climbing habit? Medical warning: only for the weak but not obese! Quickly do "3 actions" to reduce the risk of muscle loss
Is it possible to have sarcopenia if you have a mountain climbing habit? Severe cases may increase the risk of chronic diseases and death
Will “sarcopenia”, which has been much discussed in recent years, actually increase the risk of chronic diseases and death? Director Qiu Hongyi of the National Institute of Population Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health proposed that through early detection of “Dynapenia” (Dynapenia), Sarcopenia (Sarcopenia) can be more effectively evaluated and prevented. Dynapenia refers to normal muscle mass but Decreased muscle strength or reduced muscle function.
Associate Professor Lin Lifeng from the Department of Aging Health and Long-term Care at Taipei Medical University also shared the trilogy of “weakness, sarcopenia, and disability”. In recent years, asthenia has received increasing clinical attention. Sarcopenia is difficult to reverse and should be treated accordingly. Early assessment of weakness and maintenance of muscle energy. This time, among the elderly people with mountaineering habits, we found that they also had obvious symptoms of weakness. We plan to use AI intervention and carry out daily exercises with “3 Moves for Active Muscle” to help people reduce the risk of developing sarcopenia. risk.
What are the causes of sarcopenia? What is the difference between sarcopenia and amnesia?
Associate Professor Lin Lifeng explained that there are many causes of sarcopenia, including aging, hormonal changes, inflammation, lack of activity, etc. Asthenia, on the other hand, refers to a condition where muscle mass is normal and is not caused by the nervous system or disease, but lacks strength as age increases. It is like using an air conditioner for a long time, but due to the loss of refrigerant, the cold air cannot be blown out.
Sarcopenia has been proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia (EWGSOP) and the Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia (AWGS) since 2010, and at the most recent AWGS meeting in 2019, in addition to the revision of diagnostic data for sarcopenia , also added the screening criteria for “suspected sarcopenia”, thereby promoting the international discussion on “suspected sarcopenia”, that is, “asthenia”. Therefore, in recent years, asthenia has gradually attracted more attention in the international medical community. , becoming one of the early indicators to pay attention to geriatric diseases.
Early assessment of muscle weakness can prevent subsequent sarcopenia and disability. Associate Professor Lin Lifeng explained that according to the revised diagnostic criteria of AWGS, when the hand grip strength is less than 28 kg for men and less than 18 kg for women, or the gait is 6 meters walking speed Below 1.0 meters/second, it is considered to be a disability. As for how to determine sarcopenia or muscle weakness, it depends on the numerical definition of muscle mass. When men are less than 7kg/m2 and women are less than 5.7kg/m2, it is sarcopenia.
Every year, weakness progresses to at least 10% sarcopenia. Doctors reveal the biggest threat to the “trilogy of sarcopenia”
Director Qiu Hongyi said that the Taiwan Epidemiological Society further proposed the “Trilogy of Sarcopenia” using the well-known “Trilogy of Liver Diseases” chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer as examples: weak strength, hypokinesis, and disability. Research shows that on average, 62% of the elderly will progress from a muscular state to asthenia every year. If the atrophy is not detected and treated in time, it will lead to a decrease in skeletal muscle mass (SMM), Loss of function and progression to sarcopenia. Approximately 10% of patients develop sarcopenia via the asthenic pathway.
The loss of muscle mass caused by aging is difficult to reverse. Sarcopenia is characterized by a sustained and widespread reduction in skeletal muscle weight and function throughout the body, accompanied by disability, death and other consequences. Muscle loss increases the risk of falls, and bone porosis increases the risk of fractures. More than 90% of hip fractures occur due to falls; after hip fracture, 40% of patients are unable to resume walking, and about 20% die within 6 months. The interlocking influence cannot be ignored.
Is frailty not just for obese people? If your weight hasn’t changed and your muscle mass hasn’t changed in 20 years, you risk “hit rock bottom”
Associate Professor Lin Lifeng explained that compared with patients with sarcopenia, patients with sarcopenia have a higher body fat rate and thicker waist circumference, which leads to abnormal metabolism and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which worsens the daily life functions of the elderly. is an important risk factor. However, asthenia is not exclusive to obese people. Associate Professor Lin Lifeng shared that a patient once told that he could still wear a custom-made cheongsam 20 years ago, but he did not know that his body muscles would change with it. As age increases, body fat degenerates and shrinks, resulting in a relative increase in body fat, so the weight has not changed for 20 years.
In addition, studies indicate that amnesia is particularly common in patients over the age of 75 and in patients with advanced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The COVID-19 pandemic has occurred in recent years, and among patients with moderate symptoms of COVID-19, the incidence rate of localized pulmonary fibrosis is 2-6%. If it further deteriorates into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the risk of developing asthenia will increase.
Climbers are also at risk of becoming weak! “3 Moves for Energetic Muscles” to help with reversal at home
Director Qiu Hongyi said that after the age of 50, muscle strength (1.5-5%) declines faster than muscle mass (1-2%) every year. Therefore, patients who have developed sarcopenia not only have to fight against the fixed decline of muscle mass every year. It is very difficult for strength and muscle mass to return to normal performance. There are currently no effective drugs to treat sarcopenia, and only exercise and diet can be used to intervene. Therefore, prevention at the beginning of weakness is very important.
Associate Professor Lin Lifeng explained that the sub-project “Application of Artificial Intelligence in Community Health Promotion - Targeting Sub-healthy Elderly People” uses AI tools and exercise courses to study and promote the muscle mass and muscle strength of the elderly. The plan is to enter the Rehabilitation Department of Shuang Ho Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the community integrated care center, the hospital health examination center, the community activity center and other venues to conduct physical fitness tests for 200 sub-healthy silver-haired people. At present, the first level of the branch has invited 53 elderly people to take the test, with the goal of resisting gravity exercise and increasing muscle endurance.
In the early stage of the project, a special test was carried out on people with mountaineering habits, and it was found that 60% of mountaineers were at risk of weak strength. Associate Professor Lin Lifeng reminded that elderly mountaineers may take longer intervals to climb, and even if they exercise, they still have insufficient muscle strength. There is a risk of weakness. It is recommended to maintain muscle strength training and strengthen weight training to help prevent weakness. Therefore, we designed the “3 Moves for Vitality and Music” that can be completed at home. It provides resistance training for the lower limbs so that people can maintain their daily health and develop good exercise habits.
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