▲More than 300,000 elderly people in Taiwan have suffered from diseases. Dr. Cheng Xinhan, Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics of Chi Mei Medical Center, said that nutrition and balance should be paid attention to in nourishing muscles and preventing aging. At the same time, stretching twice a week can stabilize muscle strength.
Confluence News reporter Wang Zuoming / Taipei report
More than 300,000 elderly people in Taiwan suffer from the disease, and the number of sarcopenia patients continues to rise with the increase in the elderly population. In addition, recent foreign studies have confirmed that the new coronavirus will affect the nerves, muscles and bones, and may also cause sarcopenia. In other words, not only the middle-aged and the elderly should pay attention to sarcopenia, but in the future, the disease of sarcopenia may affect young people due to the new coronavirus, and become a problem that both young and old need to pay attention to. Cheng Xinhan, a physician in the Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics of Chi Mei Medical Center, appealed: “In the period of coexistence with the new coronavirus, we must pay more attention to balanced nutrition and regular exercise, so as to slow down muscle loss and avoid the risk of sarcopenia.”
According to statistics, regarding 10% of Taiwanese people aged 60 to 70 suffer from sarcopenia, and nearly 30% of people over the age of 80 may suffer from sarcopenia. Physician Cheng Xinhan reminded: “Insufficient nutrient intake will accelerate muscle loss, leading to a surge in the risk of death such as falls and fractures.” However, foreign research and surveys have also shown that on average, muscle loss following the age of 50 is twice as fast as in the prime of life at the age of 30; Recent studies have found that in addition to lung damage caused by the new coronavirus, muscles and bones may be affected by the virus, thereby increasing the risk of sarcopenia. Therefore, daily maintenance has become the top priority of public health care.
Cheng Xinhan said that the new coronavirus may attack muscle tissue, making it difficult for protein to be absorbed and transformed, and people are also easily affected by the virus, reducing appetite and thus reducing nutrient intake and increasing the risk of sarcopenia. In the future, sarcopenia may no longer be limited to middle-aged and elderly people. , Young people also need to start saving “muscle” as soon as possible to avoid the risk of sarcopenia. At the same time, Cheng Xinhan also emphasized that although the number of infected people continues to increase and coexist with the virus, more attention should be paid to balanced nutrition and regular exercise, and maintaining protection is still the key.
However, with the spread of the epidemic, the proportion of eating out has increased, and people often worry regarding stepping on the high-calorie food minefield by mistake. How to maintain nutritional balance and gain muscle without gaining weight? Dietitian Chen Yichun suggested: “When people take nutrients, they should pay attention to choosing foods that contain high-quality protein, MCT medium-chain fatty acids, and foods that are closer to natural ingredients.
However, the elderly have poor teeth and poor appetite, and are more cautious regarding the taste of food. The elderly will refuse to continue to use nutritional supplements because they do not taste good or feel greasy, resulting in the risk of muscle loss, often causing headaches for children and caregivers. . If you want to stabilize the body’s muscle mass and enhance the protection once morest coexistence of diseases, where should you start? Cheng Xinhan said that if you want to get rid of the risk of sarcopenia, you must remember three major steps:
1. Self-assessment of the scale to identify disease risk as early as possible
2. Get enough high-quality protein and fat calories
3. Develop a weekly exercise habit
Studies have also confirmed that daily supplementation of regarding 6 grams of MCT and high-quality protein can help improve muscle grip strength. Elderly people who supplemented with MCT daily have significantly improved muscle strength by 48%, grip strength and mobility by regarding 13%, and viruses coexist. Always be ahead of your subordinates on a daily basis to avoid sarcopenia crisis and increase protection.
Photo source: CNEWS file photo
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