Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia refers to the continuous reduction in muscle mass and strength, impacting a patient's daily life and even their ability to self-care.

Muscle gradually diminishes with age and hormonal changes. 

After reaching the age of 30, the body loses muscle mass at a rate of one percent per year, and after the age of 60, the rate of muscle loss accelerates.

Although sarcopenia is a natural part of aging, there are many factors that can accelerate its development, such as lack of exercise, malnutrition, poor appetite due to cognitive impairment, endocrine disorders like diabetes mellitus, joint pain preventing exercise, cardiac decline, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer.

On the other hand, being bedridden for an extended period causes muscle loss to outpace muscle production, leading to a particularly accelerated rate of muscle loss. 

Hence, sarcopenia is relatively common among elderly individuals with limited mobility or those bedridden for an extended period.

Additionally, women are more prone to developing sarcopenia than men because men generally engage in more physical activity when young, resulting in greater muscle storage and a lower risk of developing sarcopenia later in life.

Research shows that the 9-types of essential amino acids, especially branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), arginine, and glutamine, play a crucial role in the muscle-building process.

They activate a pathway in the body that stimulates muscle protein synthesis, which is the process of building muscle.

References:

Duan, Y., Li, F., Li, Y., Tang, Y., Kong, X., Feng, Z., ... & Yin, Y. (2016). The role of leucine and its metabolites in protein and energy metabolism. Amino acids, 48, 41-51.

Ellis, A. C., Hunter, G. R., Goss, A. M., & Gower, B. A. (2019). Oral supplementation with beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, arginine, and glutamine improves lean body mass in healthy older adults. Journal of dietary supplements, 16(3), 281-293.

Hiraoka, A., Michitaka, K., Kiguchi, D., Izumoto, H., Ueki, H., Kaneto, M., ... & Hiasa, Y. (2017). Efficacy of branched-chain amino acid supplementation and walking exercise for preventing sarcopenia in patients with liver cirrhosis. European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology, 29(12), 1416-1423.