Sarcopenia – the muscle thief

You may have noticed your grandparents’ (or parents) musculature start to decline as they grow older. This is known as sarcopenia, which translates from Greek as “the loss of flesh.”  Over the age of 50, adults are expected to lose 1-2% of muscle mass per year in addition to significant losses in strength (1,2). Sarcopenia causes a functional decline and physical disability which ultimately results in a reduced quality of life. As the baby boomers age, this problem is beginning to emerge in our population.