Fighting sarcopenia in older frail subjects: protein fuel for strength, exercise for mass.

摘要

To the Editor: Skeletal muscle has a global impact on our health not only because it permits us to stand or to move but also because of its numerous metabolic activities, including its capacities to produce energy from the mitochondrial oxidation of substrate or to deliver amino acids to the body in case of higher needs. Muscle mass loss together with alterations of muscle function, also defined as sarcopenia, is an important part of the frailty syndrome leading to disability, dependence, and increased mortality in the older subjects. Sarcopenia occurs not only with aging; chronic diseases are associated with loss of muscle mass and function too. Therefore, it is of major interest to understand how targeted therapeutic interventions, especially through food intake and physical exercise, are able to promote muscle mass and function in older persons through their specific impact on the regulation of muscle protein metabolism.