2009 Hot Topics Meeting

Aging, Sarcopenia and Nutrition

Excerpts from a message from 2009 Chair Alfonso J. Cruz-Jentoft:

In 2009, guest speakers and 22 invited attendees met in Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 20 and 21 to discuss what proved to be a particularly hot topic:  Aging, Sarcopenia, and Nutrition.  As chair of this meeting of experts, I am pleased to introduce these Proceedings as a way to spread the word about sarcopenia, a new geriatric syndrome.

Populations around the globe are aging; sarcopenia among older people is a newly recognized but common and costly problem, and nutrition is known to play a key role in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia.  Age-related sarcopenia takes a high toll on many lives; sarcopenia limits each person's ability to perform daily self-care activities, increases risks for falling and can lead to disability, nursing home admission, and death.  But nutritional strategies, together with exercise, are acknowledged as effective ways to prevent, delay, or treat age-related sarcopenia.

I invite you to peruse the Aging, Sarcopenia, and Nutrition Proceedings below, dig into some of the references cited, and start discussions or hold meetings at your own site.  Help fill a knowledge gap by conducting a research study.  The possibilities are endless.  With your shared interest, we can work together to make a real difference in the lives of millions of older adults around the globe.

Alfonso J. Cruz-Hentoft

Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

Speakers and Delegates Bios

Read biographys of all speakers and invited delegates...more

 

Sarcopenia: The Newest Geriatric Syndrome?
Alfonso J. Cruz-Jentoft, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
Sarcopenia is highly prevalent among older people around the world, and this condition has huge personal and financial costs. Yet sarcopenia does not have a broadly accepted clinical definition, and there are no consensus criteria or ICD-9 codes for this diagnosis. Likewise, treatment guidelines have not yet been developed. As a result, sarcopenia in older adults is almost certainly under-diagnosed and under-treated...more

 

Changes in Body Composition with Aging: Results from Longitudinal Studies
Marjolein Visser, VU University, and VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The aim of this presentation is to review patterns of change in body composition over time in adults. It has long been thought that age-related loss of weight, along with loss of muscle mass, was largely responsible for muscle weakness in older people...more

 

Nutrition, Sarcopenia and Frailty: A Complex Relationship
Juergen M. Bauer, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
The terms sarcopenia and frailty represent conditions that are common and overlapping in older people; both conditions are strongly influenced by nutritional status. In this presentation, the clinical features of sarcopenia and frailty are discussed, and the link with nutrition is reviewed....more

 

Muscle Mass Assessment and Definitions of Sarcopenia
Marjolein Visser, VU University, and VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
In recent years, our understanding of age-related body changes has markedly advanced, techniques for measuring body composition have greatly improved, and large representative data sets on body composition have become widely available. Yet there is still no consensus definition of sarcopenia that can be applied across populations. For practical reasons, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, named sarcopenia, is usually operationalized as low muscle mass or low muscle strength in old age....more
 

Diagnostic Techniques in research and Clinical Practice
Juergen M. Bauer, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
Age-related sarcopenia is a condition of declining muscle mass and muscle strength with increasing age. Changes in muscle mass can be assessed by measuring biomarkers or by using imaging methods; muscle strength can be rated using various functional tests. However, experts have not yet agreed on which measurements should be included in an operational diagnosis of sarcopenia. This presentation will discuss various techniques for evaluating muscle with the aim of...more

 

Epidemiology of Sarcopenia
Marjolein Visser, VU University, and VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Epidemiological studies have assessed the relationship between sarcopenia and 4 other conditions: (1) osteoporosis, (2) falls, (3) mortality, and (4) sarcopenic obesity. The aim of this presentation is to review how findings from such studies can be used to identify individuals at risk for the adverse outcomes of sarcopenia and associated conditions....more

 

Physical Activity, Muscle Mass and Muscle Function
Jeffrey R. Stout, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, US
Physical inactivity is strongly related to development of chronic diseases, including sarcopenia.¹ Age-related sarcopenia is characterized by a progressive decline in muscle quantity and quality leading to diminished strength, power, and endurance in older people (Figure 1).² Loss of muscle may be accompanied by a gain in fat mass. People experiencing such changes eventually have difficulty performing activities of daily living...more

 

Outcome Measures in Clinical Trials
Juergen M. Bauer, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
In order to identify new treatments that can reduce the burden of physical decline among older people, it is important to establish guidelines on how these treatments should be developed and tested.¹ Janssen et al found that reduced skeletal muscle mass was significantly and independently associated with functional impairment and disability,² while Clark et al did not find an association between muscle mass and muscle strength.³ Although debate continues...more

 

Workshops: Sarcopenia and Obesity; Sarcopenia and Inflammation; Sarcopenia and Training
Juergen M. Bauer, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Friedrich – University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
Marjolein Visser, VU University, and VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jeffrey R. Stout, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, US
Read a brief synopsis of the three workshops...more

 

Nutritional Intervention in Sarcopenia
Jeffrey R. Stout, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, US
Nutrition intervention and resistance exercise can increase muscle mass and physical function in older people. This presentation reviews recent research identifying the amount, timing, and type of nutritional supplementation needed to help slow or prevent sarcopenic muscle loss and function....more
 

Medical Treatment: What To Expect in the Near Future
Alfonso J. Cruz-Jentoft, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
Sarcopenia in older individuals results from progressive deterioration of muscle quantity and quality with advancing age. These age-related changes have been attributed to factors that variously interfere with neuromuscular transmission, muscle fiber synthesis and assembly, excitation-contraction coupling, and metabolism....more