Sarcopenia, there is no other medicine or treatment… You need to change from ‘diet composition’
Add light exercise to your daily routine… Increase vitality and build muscle
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Recently, as the number of dementia patients is rapidly increasing, people’s interest in dementia prevention is increasing. Expert advice is that to prevent dementia, you need to be on the lookout for muscle loss and aggravation of abdominal obesity.
In fact, it is known that ‘sarcopenic obesity’, which is common in the elderly, acts as a detrimental factor in dementia. This means a condition that is accompanied by obesity and sarcopenia.
According to the medical community on the 27th, it was found that sarcopenic obesity is a factor that promotes dementia in the elderly.
As a result of a study by Juntendo University in Japan, healthy elderly without both sarcopenia and obesity had a low prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (14.5%) and dementia (1.6%), whereas those with sarcopenic obesity showed a prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (40.8%). , and the prevalence of dementia soared to 14.5%.
Gyuhee Chae, CEO of 365mc Nowon Branch, says that it is a natural phenomenon for the elderly to lose muscle. Director Chae explains that in general adults, the muscle mass continues to decrease following the age of 40, and decreases by 3% per year following the age of 60, which is most noticeable in the 70s.
If this degree is severe, you may be exposed to ‘sarcopenia’. This refers to a state in which the body mass index (BMI), which is the value obtained by dividing the weight (kg) by the square of the height (m2), is 25 kg/m2 or more, and the muscle strength and muscle function are reduced. As a result of a study of the Korean geriatric senescence cohort of 70-84 year-old community residents nationwide, it was reported that 21.3% of men and 13.8% of women were diagnosed with sarcopenia.
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Director Chae selected ‘decreased grip strength’ as the easiest way to check if muscle strength is decreasing. He said, “If you keep dropping objects when exchanging objects due to poor grip strength, or if it becomes difficult to open bottle caps, or if it becomes difficult to turn a door handle in daily life, you may be suspicious. If it is even difficult to do it, you need to go to a hospital and get a diagnosis,” he said.
Sarcopenia is definitely a disease, but the problem is that there is no specific drug or treatment.
Director Chae said, “In old age, you should pay attention to protein intake with the goal of preventing muscle loss, not increasing muscle strength.
He said, “Excessive body fat gain is also reported as one of the factors that adversely affect dementia. Ultimately, maintaining an appropriate weight and muscle mass is key to preventing dementia. “It should not be overlooked because there is a high risk that it will lead to,” he said.
To this end, Dr. Chae emphasized that protein must be carefully included in the diet. The lower the daily protein intake, the higher the prevalence of sarcopenia.
Director Chae said, “Elderly people often feel the burden of protein intake due to weak digestion. However, we need to improve from this point on.”
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It is better to start by adding a soft protein diet such as tofu, soybean dishes, a piece of fish, and steamed egg to each meal rather than starting a low-salt diet from the beginning. If you have weak teeth, it is recommended to cook them gently by boiling or steaming.
According to Director Chae, if the goal is to prevent muscle loss, it is recommended to consume 1.2 to 1.4 g of protein per minimum body weight (kg) per day. If you are a little more greedy and consider muscle growth, you can increase it to 1.6g per 1kg of body weight.
Director Chae said, “It is more advantageous to eat an appropriate amount of protein in three meals rather than eating it at once, in terms of nutrient absorption. You can also consider taking it as
It is also good to add light exercise to your daily routine along with a change in your diet. Everyone suffers from muscle weakness, but adding more exercise can slow the build-up. In this process, body fat such as abdominal obesity is also naturally improved. In particular, if you start to change into a ‘body shape with a convex belly and narrow legs’, you should take care of it as a red flag for muscle loss.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends moderate-intensity physical activity for 30 minutes, 5 days a week, and 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 3 days a week in old age. The American Academy of Sports Medicine (ACSM) also recommends moderate-intensity aerobic activity and strength training for the elderly for 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, for a total of 150 minutes.
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Let’s increase stamina by doing aerobic exercise with ‘walking on flat ground’, which increases bone density and helps manage body fat. Because there is a risk of degenerative arthritis, it is better to avoid inclined places.
In the case of strength training, if you overdo it, you are more likely to get injured. It is safest to seek professional help whenever possible.
However, there is no need to engage in weight training that ‘puts weight’ forcibly to build muscle.
Director Chae said, “Dance classes where you can use muscles you don’t normally use, and ‘aqua aerobics’ or ‘swimming’, where you can use more muscle strength through water resistance, are good exercises for maintaining muscle.”
If you are a beginner in exercise, strength training using small tools such as elastic band exercises is helpful. In particular, if you sit lightly with a gym ball on your back and get up, you can safely perform the ‘flower’ squat of strength training.
Director Chae said, “Maintaining muscle mass and reducing unnecessary body fat is a shortcut to not only preventing dementia but also creating a healthy old age.”
Lee Seung-gu, online news reporter lee_owl@segye.com
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