TY - JOUR
T1 - Why are we not exploring the potential of lower limb muscle power to identify people with sarcopenia?
AU - Coelho-Júnior, Hélio José
AU - Álvarez-Bustos, Alejandro
AU - Landi, Francesco
AU - da Silva Aguiar, Samuel
AU - Rodriguez-Mañas, Leocadio
AU - Marzetti, Emanuele
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Sarcopenia refers to a neuromuscular disease characterized by age-related declines in muscle mass and function. Since Professor Rosenberg first introduced the concept of sarcopenia in 1989, numerous operational paradigms have been proposed, tested, and validated against negative outcomes. The most recent recommendations advocate that dynapenia, or reduced of muscle strength, should be used alongside low muscle mass for the identification of sarcopenia. This approach is based on the understanding that impairments in muscle strength are a major consequence of muscle failure. However, empirical evidence has yielded conflicting results regarding the ability of current sarcopenia definitions to identify individuals at higher risk of adverse health-related events. Muscle power — the capacity to generate strength rapidly — has emerged as a critical domain of physical performance in old age. Not only does it decline earlier and more drastically than other measures (e.g., muscle strength), but it is also more strongly associated with adverse outcomes. In this view point, we provide an appraisal of muscle power as a more reliable indicator of muscle failure, compared with other measures (e.g., strength), for identifying individuals with sarcopenia in both geriatric and non-geriatric settings. We also discuss major challenges hindering the conduct of meaningful investigations on this subject.
AB - Sarcopenia refers to a neuromuscular disease characterized by age-related declines in muscle mass and function. Since Professor Rosenberg first introduced the concept of sarcopenia in 1989, numerous operational paradigms have been proposed, tested, and validated against negative outcomes. The most recent recommendations advocate that dynapenia, or reduced of muscle strength, should be used alongside low muscle mass for the identification of sarcopenia. This approach is based on the understanding that impairments in muscle strength are a major consequence of muscle failure. However, empirical evidence has yielded conflicting results regarding the ability of current sarcopenia definitions to identify individuals at higher risk of adverse health-related events. Muscle power — the capacity to generate strength rapidly — has emerged as a critical domain of physical performance in old age. Not only does it decline earlier and more drastically than other measures (e.g., muscle strength), but it is also more strongly associated with adverse outcomes. In this view point, we provide an appraisal of muscle power as a more reliable indicator of muscle failure, compared with other measures (e.g., strength), for identifying individuals with sarcopenia in both geriatric and non-geriatric settings. We also discuss major challenges hindering the conduct of meaningful investigations on this subject.
KW - Dynapenia
KW - Muscle strength
KW - Physical frailty
KW - Power training
KW - Dynapenia
KW - Muscle strength
KW - Physical frailty
KW - Power training
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/303666
U2 - 10.1016/j.arr.2025.102662
DO - 10.1016/j.arr.2025.102662
M3 - Article
SN - 1568-1637
SP - 1
EP - 8
JO - Ageing Research Reviews
JF - Ageing Research Reviews
ER -