The prevalence rate of sarcopenia in China is 10%, which is equivalent to nearly 300,000 people suffering from sarcopenia, and the male over 80 years old is more likely to be as high as 30%. Zhan, president of National Taiwan University Zhudong Branch, pointed out that people will lose their muscles year by year from the age of 50. If they don't actively maintain their muscle mass, it will have a chain effect on health.
Zhan Dingzheng said that muscle deficiency can cause limb weakness and knee pain, and may further evolve into weakness, increasing the chance of falling, which in turn will lead to fractures, disabilities and long-term bed rest, and even increase the risk of death. In addition, muscle is related to basal metabolic rate, which will also decrease with the decrease of muscle mass, and then interact with metabolic diseases (such as diabetes) to reduce the quality of life and life expectancy. (Reference: Does your knee hurt? Don't guess arthritis yet, it is more likely to be sarcopenia! 》)
A new indicator of Asian sarcopenia: "Male leg circumference < 34 cm, female.
In addition, many people will worry that the reason why they reach the calf circumference standard is because of obesity rather than muscle. Zhan Dingzheng said that although most obese people have more fat, they also have more muscles than those who are too thin. And calf circumference is a "screening" rather than a diagnosis. SARC-F five-question questionnaire designed by the European Union sarcopenia team has also been verified by domestic doctors. People can check their daily conditions, and people who score more than 4 may be at risk of sarcopenia. (Reference: "Young Knee Pain? Don't guess arthritis yet, it is more likely to be sarcopenia! 》)
Mature people's "rough tea and light rice" is really not delicious! According to the survey, more than half of the mature retirees exercise for health, but Zhan said that nearly 80% of the mature people exercise mainly for walking, walking and other aerobic exercise, which is helpful to improve the cardiopulmonary function, but if they lack weight-bearing (resistance-type) exercise, it may not be helpful to improve muscle mass.
In addition, mature retirees prefer to control their diet with "simple tea and light rice", but in fact, if there is no history of "three highs" or special instructions from doctors, there is no need to control the intake of nutrition. Doctors say that mature people have many deficiencies in protein intake, and it is not easy to increase muscle mass.
Chen Xinli, executive director of Millennium Love Health Foundation, said that diet is the raw material for building muscle, especially protein, represented by beans, fish, eggs and meat. Therefore, the elderly should be encouraged to eat a more balanced and adequate diet and supplement more fruits, vegetables and plants. (Reference: Don't eat enough old protein to avoid muscle loss)
Resistance exercise is the most effective way to increase muscle. Retraining is not a patent for young people to exercise. At what age do you start practicing? It is suggested that the elderly should also seek professional fitness coaches to study or consult, and combine several suitable resistance types with walking to make their exercise habits more complete.