What Causes Sarcopenia (Loss of Muscle Mass)

What Causes Sarcopenia (Loss of Muscle Mass)

What Causes Sarcopenia (Loss of Muscle Mass)

Sarcopenia Prevention and Causes
Muscle Science

The role of exercise and of muscle building on sarcopenia

 
Muscles have a purpose. Outside of the visual benefits, one must maintain muscle mass within the body to both  move and support the skeleton, and also provide us with strength as we age. Without the appropriate muscle building throughout life, the skeletal frame becomes weak and frail, making the incidence of falls and fractures more prevalent.
 

Muscle maintains one’s metabolic rate.

 
Since muscle is a metabolic tissue requiring vast amounts of energy, the loss of muscle mass results in a metabolic decline. This decline makes it easy to consume excess calories, which in turn, get stored as fat. Muscle burns fat and helps us stay lean.
 
 

Muscle is an endocrine gland.

 
When muscles are exercised, they release over 700 myokines. Myokines are molecules that promote the health and well-being of the entire body, including the heart, brain, pancreas, liver and kidneys. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is an example of one myokine that is released from muscle that signals repair and enhances the productivity of the brain cells. It even has the potential grow new brain cells in other areas of the brain. Fat and fat cells are also often considered an endocrine gland. The difference, however, is that fat cells have the propensity to affect the health of the body negatively. Fat cells secrete molecules called inflammatory cytokines or adipokines, which damage the body. It is in one’s youth that the body works as it should. So long as there are no underlying health issues presenting themselves. When we are young, it is not too hard to maintain lean muscle mass. With ageing however there may be a shift in energy, physical activity levels, dietary changes and often hormonal decline is apparent. Regardless of what weight is being read on the bathroom scales, there is a significant change going on in the composition of the body. Muscle mass often decreases, fat storage can increase, and the function of tissues throughout the body as a result become jeopardised. When this happens, it is critical one implement lifestyle modifications in order to prevent sarcopenia.
 

Muscle mass supports the skeleton, preventing falls and the corresponding injury.

 
Strong muscles support the skeleton. Typically if you have strong muscles, your bones will also be strong and healthy. If you fall, you are less likely experience a bone fracture when you have an adequate supply of muscle mass. Weak muscles cannot offer the same support. In this case, a fall or sports injury may result in a broken bone or multiple fractures. An example of a typical injury that results in death is when a senior breaks a hip after falling. A hip fracture may have a patient immobile, bedridden in a hospital. This can lead to clots in the legs and lungs, and at high risk of premature death.
 

 

Muscle mass supports mobility

 
Age-related loss of muscle mass, or sarcopenia, is a severe problem that decreases one’s quality of life. No doubt you would have seen elderly patients struggling to get up from a seated position. Their loss of muscle mass may also have them requiring a crutch to walk from one side of the room to the other. This lack of strength is holding them back from being independently mobile. Sarcopenia and loss of mobility is a common reason for the elderly getting admitted into nursing facilities.
 
 

What can I do to improve muscle mass?

 
In order to improve or maintain one’s muscle mass, one should be proactive. One should physically strengthen the body, minimise excess fat storage and correct hormonal deficiencies where clinically found to be prohibiting the improvement of muscle mass.
 
Diet and Nutrition
 

  • Protein consumption may help prevent sarcopenia.
  • Protein is essential for building muscles.
  • Optimise your diet and consume adequate protein.

 
Digestion
 

  • Proper digestion needs to have an adequate supply of enzymes and stomach acid to break protein down into amino acids efficiently.

 
Healthy Gut
 

  • Your gut needs to be healthy, so it can absorb the broken down nutrients and supply the body accordingly. 

 
Exercise – High-Intensity Weight-Bearing Exercise
 

  • Muscles need to be supplied a stimulus to grow new muscle. This stimulus may be served  in the form of high-intensity training. Walking is not considered high-intensity, even if you engage in fast-paced walking. High intensity is heavy weightlifting, but we are not suggesting that you go out and start lifting weights like an Olympic bodybuilder. Heavy is subjective and personal. It means heavy enough that you stress your muscles. Muscles adapt to the levels of stress that they are exposed to. They also actively de-adapt if you don’t continue to expose them.
  • The body is highly intelligent. Muscles use heaps of energy, just to stay alive. If one’s muscles are not being used, the body will de-adapt and consequently remove tissue to preserve and eliminate the energy requirements. In the past, where there was famine, those that survived were those who didn’t have high-energy requirements from day to day. Our bodies actively remove muscle mass that is not used. Conversely, the body has mechanisms from which to grow muscle mass, regardless of age. The way you communicate these needs to the body is to show that the muscle mass it currently has is not sufficient for your needs. You must deliver this message through the supply of raw materials such as diet, digestion, absorption, muscular stress, and hormones. All of these factors are involved in triggering the anabolic muscle growth process (muscle hypertrophy).

 

References
  • Dihydroxyacetone, the active browning ingredient in sunless tanning lotions, induces DNA damage, cell-cycle block and apoptosis in cultured HaCaT keratinocytes.
  • Dong L, Wen J, Pier E, et al. Melanocyte-stimulating Hormone directly enhances UV-induced DNA repair in keratinocytes by an XPA-dependent mechanism. Cancer research. 2010;70(9):3547-3556. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-09-4596.
  • Garone M, Howard J, Fabrikant J. A Review of Common Tanning Methods. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2015;8(2):43-47.
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How does Muscle Hypertrophy Happen?

How does Muscle Hypertrophy Happen?

How does Muscle Hypertrophy Happen?

Muscle Science
Real science governs the muscular design of the body. By asking the question “How does muscle hypertrophy occur?” you may delve into the science behind muscle growth. By effectively making adjustments to your muscle-building regime so that it aligns with muscle science the result is increased lean muscle mass.

For muscle hypertrophy to occur, you must give the muscle a reason to grow.

This is done through an increase in stimulus. By increasing the load, opting for heavy vs what is tolerable, you can successfully supply this increased stimulus. You cannot merely lift weights. It is by actively going over and above your comfort level that muscles will respond, both in size and strength.
Muscles do not just grow because you are a man, or because you spent some time in the gym. Muscles must be forced to grow. By lifting a weight that is heavier than the last time you trained, the muscles get the message that they must grow to deal with the increased requirements.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy

  • Myo means “muscle.”
  • A fibril is a threadlike cellular structure
  • The myofibrils are proteins that contract in response to the increased stimulus.
  • When lifting weights, myofibrils facilitate the contraction
  • Each muscle fibre contains numerous myofibrils
  • Myofibrillar hypertrophy is defined as the increase in both the size and number of myofibrils within the muscle fibres

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy

  • Sarco means “flesh”
  • Plasmic is the gel-like material that is present within the cell
  • This gel-like substance contains vital components, necessary for life
  • Sarcoplasm are the elements that are contained within muscle cells, including proteins, collagen, water, etc.
  • Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is the increased volume of sarcoplasm in the muscle cell

Muscle Hypertrophy – How does it happen?

A workout, if done correctly and with enough intensity, will cause trauma to the muscle fibres (muscle damage). The disruption that occurs within the muscle cell organelles triggers satellite cells, which are found on the exterior of the muscle fibres, to proliferate to the injury site. White blood cells called “neutrophils” and specialised cells called “macrophages” enter the wounded muscle.
Signalling molecules called “cytokines” are then released to attract an increased level of white blood cells and satellite cells. With one single nucleus acting as the control centre, satellite cells are those that regulate gene expression.
Muscle tissue damage prompts satellite cells to replicate and differentiate into mature muscle cells.
Satellite cells fuse to existing fibres, becoming new muscle protein strands. The myofibrils of the muscle cells thicken and increase in number.
Satellite cells must acclimate the cell cycle. They must replicate the originating molecular pathways of your first muscle fibres during initial cell development.
Signalling pathways ultimately regulate and control the activation and dimensional increase of satellite cells.
Some satellite cells will become the source of new nuclei serving the needs of growing muscle fibre. Having more nuclei to access, the muscle can synthesise additional proteins. This also facilitates an increase in contractile myofilaments known as “actin” and “myosin”.

Strategies for Muscle Growth

1. Muscles Need To Experience An Overload – Lift Heavy, Low Reps

Muscular overload is achieved when an individual lifts a weight that is far heavier than what their muscles have lifted before. In doing so, this creates tiny tears (micro-tears) within the muscle fibres. The body will repair as it always does, but the muscles will adapt to the increased weight (stimulus) that caused the muscle damage. This is an example of muscle hypertrophy. Muscle growth is a result of adjusting to the increased stimuli. To create more micro tears and continually foster muscle growth, you need to increase the load once your muscles have gotten used to the current weight.
Don’t overdo it!
Trainers and training programs often have the client doing too many sets while overworking the same muscle groups with minimal rest time. Too many sets featured in a session may cause your muscles to make more micro-tears than the body can repair. Too many sets also lead to too much time spent working out. Cortisol levels tend to rise high as a response, and this fact alone hinders muscle growth. When a muscle group has been overworked and not given adequate time to recover the result is that you may end up overloading a muscle that hasn’t had the chance to repair fully. This can result in a loss of strength and muscle size.
Don’t forget muscle nutrition! 
Without the correct nutritional supplementation or rest and recovery after a workout, muscle growth will be stunted. To gain optimal benefits from your muscle-building regime, you must lift in a manner that increases micro-tearing, and provide your body with the nutritional sustenance it needs to grow.
What is Muscle Burn and Muscle Pump?
Muscle burn indicate the presence of lactic acid in the muscle:
Weightlifters often mistake the burning sensation they experience while training, thinking it means that muscular growth is taking place. This is not the case. The burn is the sensation experienced from the presence of lactic acid in the muscle. Lactic acid is produced when muscle burns stored energy. Lactic acid communicates to the body the message to start production of anabolic hormones.
Muscle pump indicates blood being trapped in the muscles:
Muscle pump is a familiar term used by those who frequent the gym. Again it indicates that the conditions in the muscle tissue are not optimal for building muscle. Muscle pump is not as some believe it to be – the primary driver of growth- but rather the result of blood being trapped in the muscles.

2. Compound Exercises and High Intensity

Compound exercises:
A compound exercise is a movement involving many major muscle groups. It includes a primary muscle group as well as one or more secondary muscles. An example of a compound exercise is a BARBELL SQUAT. In the barbell squat, the quadriceps are the primary muscles being exercised, and the secondary muscles include the gluteus and hamstring muscles.
Much more weight is lifted when a bodybuilder uses compound exercises rather than those that use isolation movements. Increased weight is essentially an increase in overload and this results in muscular gain. Some people prefer to do isolation exercises; however, the gains are minimal and do not utilise your time wisely. Isolation movements limit the overload necessary for optimal benefits.
When muscle hypertrophy is the ultimate goal, lifting heavy weight is the best strategy and stimulus for muscle growth. Every time you go to train, your efforts should be directed at getting that increased overload.
Think big, lift big, be big!
Muscle memory:
Your muscles have a memory. They remember your last workout where you pushed them far harder than the time before. In fact, the micro-tears are proof of this. As you complete your workout, your muscles having lifted a heavier weight than before will remember when it comes time to exercise again. Never make the mistake of decreasing the weight from your last set. This will be detrimental to the achievement of muscle growth.
Muscle memory is a physiological phenomenon. When you use it to your best advantage, the gains in muscle strength and size will follow.
Training intensity:
Training intensity is when you use high energy and power to fuel your workouts. Lifting heavy will always require some hard work. It is going to be hard work pushing for that overload. Merely going through the motions, cheating your training program by using momentum, will not maximise your results. By using slow controlled movements, that require focus and intensity, you will use your time efficiently and get the job done like a champ. Even if you increase the weight, by not using full extension when contracting and releasing the muscles, you slow down your progress.
Intensity stems from your motivation.
Whatever it may be, it is up to you to identify, regardless of how private or self-fulfilling it may be. It’s the source that separates the winners from the losers, and it’s the motivation that prevents you from quitting. The mental intensity is the fire that generates the physiological effects.
Lifting with high intensity initiates the accumulation of muscle protein. The repair begins once the rate of protein synthesis increases. This rate depends on how fast your amino acids are being transported into the muscle cells. Intensity and duration of this mechanical tension have a direct influence on the speed amino acids get transported into muscle cells.
Protein synthesis is the basis from which muscle is built. It can be increased with high-intensity training.

3. Growth Factors – Get Familiar with These

Lifting weights cause stress to the muscles. To counteract this stress, hormones that the body releases during and after a training session are important to consider. The ability for hormones to communicate within the body is a factor to consider when setting bodybuilding goals. Knowledge about growth factors is critical so that training results in steady muscle growth.
GH (Growth Hormone)
Insulin
Testosterone
Cortisol – The Stress Regulating Hormone

4. Muscles need “Muscle Nutrition.”

What you eat and drink determines 70-80% of how you look. Consuming a proper diet is paramount in supplying your muscles with nutritional sustenance for growth. Learn more about muscle nutrition so that you have every strategy in place for maximum gains. This includes timing your meals around your training regime.

5. Muscles Need Repair and Recovery Time 

Muscle tears that result from intense resistance training damage cellular proteins within the muscle. The damage prompts cell signalling to communicate the message of repair and recovery.
 

References
  • Mangine, G. T., Hoffman, J. R., Gonzalez, A. M., Townsend, J. R., Wells, A. J., Jajtner, A. R., Beyer, K. S., Boone, C. H., Miramonti, A. A., Wang, R., LaMonica, M. B., Fukuda, D. H., Ratamess, N. A., … Stout, J. R. (2015). The effect of training volume and intensity on improvements in muscular strength and size in resistance-trained men. Physiological reports, 3(8), e12472.
  • Stark, M., Lukaszuk, J., Prawitz, A., & Salacinski, A. (2012). Protein timing and its effects on muscular hypertrophy and strength in individuals engaged in weight-training. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(1), 54. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-9-54
  • Gentil P, e. (2018).Effect of adding single-joint exercises to a multi-joint exercise resistance-training program on strength and hypertrophy in untrained subjects.– PubMed – NCBI . Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 15 November 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23537028/
  • Thomas, M. H., & Burns, S. P. (2016).Increasing Lean Mass and Strength: A Comparison of High Frequency Strength Training to Lower Frequency Strength Training. International journal of exercise science, 9(2), 159-167.
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Increase Lean Muscle Mass

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Increase Lean Muscle Mass

Lean muscle mass
Muscle Science

How to build lean muscle mass through peptide supplementation

Bodybuilders have known for years of the benefits peptides can offer those who want to build lean muscle mass. Bodybuilders have also shown what growth steroid use can influence. There is a distinction however between the two, which needs to be understood moving forward. Apart from being a safer and more natural option to building muscle, there is a distinction between peptides and steroids:
When peptide supplementation is used to facilitate the growth of new muscle cells the following benefits result:

Steroids increase the size of the already existing muscle cells. In doing so, they result in the following:

  • Increased bulk
  • Less definition
  • The temporary muscle mass of low quality

Building, Sculpting, Shredding…Increasing lean muscle mass with peptides.

As a bodybuilding supplement, peptides effectively:

  • Build lean body mass
  • Decrease the recovery time one needs between workouts
  • Enhances overall training performance
  • Has no risk of detection
  • Strengthens joints and ligaments
  • Repairs damaged muscle tissue

Further benefits:

  • Improves protein synthesis
  • Increases the amount of insulin an individual can use effectively
  • Increases the number of anabolic steroids a person can use effectively

So bodybuilders take note – if you would like to improve your physique, and sport lean shredded muscle, this can be obtained with peptide supplementation.
The advantages you can expect to experience:

  • Strength
  • Healthy weight gain
  • Increased fat loss
  • A reduction in muscle loss during off periods
  • No side effects

Why is it harder to build lean muscle mass when we get older?

  • Our human growth hormone (HGH) levels are highest when we are children, and they decline each year, with dramatic drops occurring in midlife
  • Generally, after puberty, the body stops its growth of new muscle cells
  • How many muscle cells you have is determined by genetics
  • To increase and decrease the size of these cells you can use steroids and  weight -train

The problem is – the number of muscle cells never grows!

How Lean Muscle Peptides Work

PEPTIDE USE GRANTS YOU ACCESS TO ONE MAJOR BENEFIT – YOU CAN GROW NEW MUSCLE CELLS!
This means you can reverse your genetic predisposition!
Peptide supplementation can help you achieve your IDEAL MUSCLE DENSITY! Not only that, but peptides raise your energy level and metabolism. The result of this shift is that you will feel more alert, motivated to act, and you can burn a higher amount of fat.
Weight gain achieved from using peptides is slower than what can be achieved through the use of steroids, however, the result is an increase in lean muscle mass that serves to sculpt and define your body. The weight gained from using steroids is mostly water weight. Thus, muscle peptides offer true muscular gain and no retention of fluids.
Peptides force your body to burn fat as fuel as opposed to utilising glucose. This allows you to consume more training and recovery food, without unnecessarily gaining body fat. The absorbed nutrients and energy get delivered straight to where it benefits you most – within the muscle and nerve cells to facilitate growth of lean muscle mass.

 

References
  • Tavares, A. B., Micmacher, E., Biesek, S., Assumpção, R., Redorat, R., Veloso, U., Vaisman, M., Farinatti, P. T., … Conceição, F. (2013). Effects of Growth Hormone Administration on Muscle Strength in Men over 50 Years Old. International journal of endocrinology, 2013, 942030.
  • Velloso, C. (2008). Regulation of muscle mass by growth hormone and IGF-I. British Journal Of Pharmacology, 154(3), 557-568. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.153
  • Tavares, A. B., Micmacher, E., Biesek, S., Assumpção, R., Redorat, R., Veloso, U., Vaisman, M., Farinatti, P. T., … Conceição, F. (2013). Effects of Growth Hormone Administration on Muscle Strength in Men over 50 Years Old. International journal of endocrinology, 2013, 942030.
  • Margareta Hedström, Maria Sääf, Eva Brosjö, Carolin Hurtig, Kerstin Sjöberg, Ann Wesslau & Nils Dalén (2004)Positive effects of short-term growth hormone treatment on lean body mass and BMC after a hip fracture A double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study in 20 patients, Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica, 75:4, 394-401, DOI: 10.1080/00016470410001141-1(2013).
  • Growth hormone in the aging male. Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism, 27(4), 541-55.
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