Genes in the elderly may play a role in preventing muscle hypertrophy (Getty)
A recent report by the American newspaper “Washington Post” sheds light on the reasons for the weakness andmuscle sagging I have seniorsN, and the extent to which this is related to genetic factors, following a detailed study by the Assistant Director of the Jane Mayer Center for Human Nutrition Research on Aging of the US Department of Agriculture and Professor of Medicine at Tufts University Roger Fielding.
Roger Fielding, in his report published on Saturday, touched on the absence of the elderly In general, regarding any sports activities, and it was found that the weakness that dominates the various functions of the body, including muscle weakness, may have an impact on excluding this age group from any sports competition or activity, and linking this absence from any sports activity to muscle weakness in general.
if i might give young folks one piece of advice, it would be to always, and i mean always, do some kind of physical exercise. it will ease your aging process. talk regarding diminished gene expression (150 in young, 42 in old during strength training ????)https://t.co/oa0uSSIOon
— Dr Meaux Dawn Lee (@MeauxDawn) February 13, 2022
Fielding led a team of scientists to study the health benefits for exercise Strength exercises and diet in the elderly. The goal of the work team behind this project is to investigate how the elderly respond to exercise and to understand the basic biological mechanisms that cause the increase in muscle size and strength following resistance or strength exercises. Older adults may play a role in preventing muscle hypertrophy.
Although exercise has a positive impact on the lives of people of all age groups, genes in the elderly may play a role in preventing muscle hypertrophy.
Using a technique that allowed the team to measure changes associated with hundreds of genes, and their ability to respond to exercise, the team found that when younger men exercised, there were changes in more than 150 genes, in contrast, in older people, changes were found in 42 Jenna only. This difference in gene expression appears to explain, in part, the most pronounced difference between how young and old people respond to strength training.
He concluded that when you combine all the different molecular differences in how older adults respond to strength training, the result is that older people do not gain as much muscle as younger adults.
Despite reaching this result, Roger Fielding urged the elderly to exercise, lift weights and build muscle, considering that practicing sports activities helps maintain physical fitness on the one hand, and on the other hand, because it helps prevent diseases.
How do we build muscle?
According to the American Journal of Medicine, muscles are built through exercise. Usually, following exercising, the human body repairs or replaces damaged muscle fibers by merging them with muscle fibers, to form new muscle protein strands or new muscle fibers. These repaired muscle fibers increase in thickness and number to create muscle hypertrophy (growth). Muscle growth usually occurs whenever the rate of muscle protein creation is high.
Usually, adults and children build muscle in the same way. But with age, many of the biological processes that turn exercise into muscle become less effective. This makes it more difficult for older adults to build strength, but also makes it more important for everyone to continue exercising as they get older.
The sports coach, Manar Al-Sheikh, comments on this report by saying that muscle weakness in the elderly may be caused by many factors, including the lack of exercise, in addition to the quality of food, and diseases that the elderly usually suffer from, and therefore she advises in her speech to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. That people start practicing sports activities at a young age, because building muscle from a young age practically helps in prolonging its life, and therefore it may not weaken significantly with age.
On the other hand, the sheikh advises all age groups, especially young people, to practice all kinds of sports activities, and not to limit them to a specific type, because this leads to building a type of muscle while damaging other muscles, and therefore you see that diversifying sports activities from childhood has Effect on all muscles of the body without exception.
How do the muscles of the elderly change?
Changes in the muscles of older adults occur through the intrinsic response to exercise, and how genes are generally able to adapt to changes brought regarding by sports. It is true that the elderly may not be able to build muscle, but that does not mean that exercising will not lead to any result, or the result may be zero.
Roger Fielding believes that exercise is one of the most important activities that older people can do for their health. The research that Fielding led clearly shows that although responses to training decrease with age, they in no way decrease to zero..
It has shown that older adults with mobility problems who participate in a regular program of aerobic and resistance exercise can reduce their risk of disability by regarding 20 percent. A similar 20% reduction in the risk of disability was also shown among already physically frail people if they did the same exercise program..
While young adults may get stronger and build bigger muscles much faster than their older counterparts, older adults can still get incredibly valuable health benefits from exercise, including improved strength and physical function and reduced disability.
What exercises are recommended for the elderly?
In a report published on May 3, 2021 in the American newspaper “Washington Post”, it highlighted four types of exercise for the elderly. According to the report, there are 4 simple movements that can help maintain body fitness with age, and these movements are summarized in doing traditional exercises, including doing regarding 10 to 12 arm and leg exercises, twice a week, by raising the arm and leg in the air. .
As well as doing exercises on the wall, as the individual can stand away from the wall a distance of a little more than the length of the arm, then lean forward and put his palms on the wall at the height of the chest, then raise the heels from the ground, bend the elbows and lower the chest, then straighten the arms.
In order to strengthen the muscles of the legs and buttocks in order to strengthen the lower body in order to get in and out of the car, get up from the sofa and go up the stairs, squats should be practiced. The fourth movement is related to abdominal exercises, by lying on the ground and tightening the abdominal muscles and advancing at an angle of approximately 90 degrees.
Miriam C. Morey, associate director of the Center for American Independence at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, says that maintaining strength is essential to maintaining independence and mobility with age.
