Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ethan Hoang
Ms. OBrien
English III
As people retire and become older, they become frail and weak due to the natural aging
process. Recent studies have shown that the elderly tend to lose considerable amounts of weight
developing the condition known as, sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of muscle
mass which is common in retired adults. As time passes, less and less time is spent exercising
and rebuilding muscle when compared to teenagers and young adults. Often times, this condition
is combined with obesity as retired adults gain and never spend energy to burn calories. This
issue, combined with poor nutritional intake, can lead to neural damage, spinal cord injuries, and
painful lifestyles. Retired adults are suffering from muscular atrophy and should be
engaging in low stress exercises such as water aerobics, and altering nutrition intake to
In an experiment conducted by M. Halil et al, sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity are also
prevalent in retired adults at a retirement home in Turkey; proving that this issue is present not
only in the United States, but also across the globe. Sarcopenic obesity is more common now
than it ever was before and is essentially sarcopenia combined with common obesity. Or in other
words, low muscle mass and high fat content in the bodys composition. Sarcopenic obesity is
defined as the combination of low lean body mass and high fat mass, and is also associated with
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higher dependency and metabolic complications (Halil et al 690). This type of condition,
sarcopenic obesity, is starting to appear more often in the retired community. According to their
estimations, the prevalence of Sarcopenic Obesity was 23.6% in 1990, 32% in 2000 and 37.4%
in 2010 (Halil et al 694), showing gradual increases over the decades. Following that trend, by
the year 2020 Sarcopenic Obesity will affect over 40% of the retired population. Especially with
new technologies being developed yearly, it will become easier and easier for an adult to develop
this condition. These new developments are enablers that aid in the development in these
nerve damage. Eventually, if left unchecked, this nerve damage can lead to severe pain
throughout nervous system due to the amount of stress put on joints and the spinal cord.
Losing weight is not as simple as changing diet and exercising more. Each body uses
energy, creates, and loses fat in different ways. While studying the physiology of the human
body, studies conducted found that the energy consumption was higher in individuals with
physical disability than those without physical disability (Tsan-Hon et al 321). Meaning, it would
be easier for those with disabilities to spend energy while exercising and hopefully lead to a
healthier body than a normal person. However, since majority of individuals are in a resting
state, none of the energy built up is spent which further increases the bodys fat percentage. This
high rate of inactivity is one of the primary enablers of obesity and other disabilities. As stated
by the authors,
Apart from physical inactivity and muscle atrophy, other factors associated with weight
gain among people with physical disabilities are secondary conditions associated with the
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primary disability, (5-9) unhealthy lifestyle, (24) and disparity of medical utilization.(25)
People with physical disabilities often have more than one secondary condition.
This statement tells me that though obesity is primarily caused by inactivity and overeating, there
are other, secondary conditions that either cause or are an effect of obesity. In fact, at later stages
of obesity, problems such as pressure sores, diabetes, and even depression may arise. Thus arises
the need for a healthy, regular diet with minimal deviance. It can be tempting for depressed
individuals to binge eat or to overindulge on sweets, but cravings can and should be carefully
managed.
Another experiment performed by Mechling, Heinz and Morat, Tobias, tested the effects
of different exercises on retired adults over a two month period. The experiment consisted of
different groups performing strength training, another performing cardio-like exercise, and a
control group that did not perform exercise. After the experiment was complete, the results
yielded that even something as light as a 10 minute warm up on a cycling ergometer (1 watt/kg
body weight) can drastically improve the physical state of the body. The common misconception
that one needs to do full body core workouts using 100% to be healthy is not true. The retirees
showed increases is balance, strength, power, and movement from these light exercises. Though
the group that performed strength training did show higher performance, the results were
marginally better than the cardio group. That being said, the control group had not exercised and
thus found regular tasks difficult compared to those who did exercise.
Though improvements in muscle strength, muscle power, and balance, older adults could
maintain a spectrum of movements of everyday life e.g., rising from a chair, climbing
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stairs, and walking.- As a consequence of effective training programs, older adults could
avoid, retard, and reduce decreases in physical performance. (Mechling, Morat 105)
This result would make retirement life much more positive and comfortable to live in. Over long
periods of time, the body will naturally start to lose muscle mass due to disuse, which in turn
leads to a difficult lifestyle in retirement since retirees no longer have the energy or strength
needed to finish light tasks. These light exercises can prevent this issue and maybe even end it
altogether.
Like all things, there are exceptions to the claims made above. Further studies conducted
by Clark, Brian and Manini, Todd have shown that sarcopenia may not be to blame. Though
sarcopenia is a popular scape goat, the culprit very well may just be another condition called
dynapenia. Very similar to sarcopenia, dynapenia is a condition that affects the muscular groups
of individuals. However, the difference being that dynapenia is the loss of muscle force, rather
than muscle mass. In studies conducted by the authors, results yielded that strength training did
performance. These findings indicate that loss of muscle strength is weakly associated with
sarcopenia if at all. The loss of muscle strength could be due to the reduced excitability in alpha
motor neurons due to aging. There was also some evidence that carotenoids and selenium, which
increase inflammation, were also present in volunteers during experiments. With these findings,
the authors conclude that dynapenia may not only be affected by inactivity and bed rest. There
may also be genetic factors caused by physiological and neurological issues out of anyones
Dynapenia can be developed in one of two ways. Clark and Manini state that, the
contributors to dynapenia can be compartmentalized into two factos, i.e., 1) neurologic and 2)
skeletal muscle properties (Clark, Manini 496). The neurological reasoning comes with ageing
and development. In later stages of life, human motor neurons naturally start to degrade often
along with the rest of the neurological system and other bodily processes. This process of
degrading motor neurons will either weaken or entirely kill off neurons so to speak which can
lead to two major issues. The first being that the neuron does not fire off strong enough signals
and only a portion of a muscle group can be flexed, or the entire muscle group is useless. The
second scenario can also be diagnosed as Lou Gehrigs disease if the conditions worsen at an
alarmingly fast rate. This also leads to slowed improvements in motor skills and balance. The
second factor that contributes to dynapenia would be the skeletal muscle properties. The
musculoskeletal system is often directly affected by nutrition. After retirement, adults tend not to
worry about eating healthy and often consume over the daily required calories or they consume
too much of the wrong type of nutrient. With malnourished bone and muscle health, the body
cannot properly develop the correct muscle groups and instead focus on growing only muscles
used daily such as quadriceps to stand up, calves to walk, among many others. However, though
muscles are being developed, they do not include every other muscle group required to acquire a
comfortable body to move around in. They are simply developing the bare minimum in order to
get around and even that task is completed with difficulty at times.
Another idea proposed by Connie Wales and Christine Ritchie, claims that malnutrition
can lead to weight loss and sarcopenia. This idea is different because sarcopenia is thought to
have been primarily caused by lack of exercise. However, according to the authors, ageing can
lead to reduction or deterioration in homeostatic reserve over time. Homeostatic reserve is the
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bodys ability to fight off disease and/or changes in metabolism. The loss or deterioration of
homeostatic reserve can lead to frailty if left unchecked over long periods of time. Factors for
preventing the loss of homeostatic reserve are physical activity, nutritional status, and cognitive
and social stimulation. The idea of modifying these factors to foster the process of successful
aging has been discussed in detail, and continues to be the focus of research. (Factora 1)
Providing more food and energy does not always correct the issues of sarcopenia or dynapenia.
As mentioned above, alterations of physical activity, nutrition, social support, etc. are the main
factors in maintaining proper health and aging successfully as stated by Ronin Factora, MD.
The exercises mentioned before can be anything from strength training to water aerobics as long
as the body is continually using and circulating energy. It is also important to balance exercise
with a proper diet so that the body is only taking in what it needs. This can be difficult because
every human body is different and requires different levels of every nutrient. Similarly,
obesity. The development of obesity, poor mental health, and sometimes even disease
life. In conclusion, Bales and Ritchie say that sarcopenia is heavily affected by malnutrition and
leads to weight loss. It can be retarded through proper nutrition intake and light exercises
combined.
No 2-3 Hours
Calories Consumed
0-1000
1001-2000
2001-3000
This primary source shows the results of a survey conducted online through a Google
forms document. Any genetic diseases such as Lou Gehrigs were intended to be left out to keep
the results as clear as possible and root out any factors that were uncontrollable. Out of the total
12 volunteers, 9 were female, and 3 were male. The goal of the questions asked, were to identify
any changes or signs of early sarcopenia or obesity in the community. Of the 12 responses, 7
volunteers were under the age of 50, 3 volunteers were between the ages of 51 and 60, and that
last two were between the ages 61 and 70. As you can tell, just under half of the volunteers were
at retiring age and the other half were approaching retirement age. The first question asked was,
How many hours of your day are spent idle? Adults become very busy with either work or
tending to their children and do not often find the time to exercise. However, the results stated
that 10 volunteers spend between 1-5 hours idle and only 2 volunteers spent 5+ hours idle during
the day. This shows an increased rate of activity overall and is a good indicator that these adults
are active at the very minimum of 10 hours a day which is ample time to burn calories through
minute tasks. The next important question that ties into the previous was to determine how many
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calories were consumed on average per day. The amount of calories consumed will affect how
much fat is gained when combined with hours and types of exercises completed. For example, if
somebody consumes over 4000 calories and only burns about 500, about 1500 calories are
converted to fat by the body. The survey results showed that 2 participants consume about 0-
1000 calories, 5 consume about 1001-2000 calories and the other 5 consume between 2001-3000
calories. This is a very healthy range because the average body requires a recommended 2000
calories in order to perform basic life support processes and the rest can be burned off through
tasks such as walking or lifting objects throughout the day. However, this calorie burning is
accelerated by the participants because 7 participants exercise between 0-5 hours, 3 exercise for
over 6 hours and only 2 participants do not exercise at all. As stated earlier, the amount of hours
spent exercising directly influences the amount of fat gained by the body and the type of exercise
does not matter as studied by Morat and Heinz. Lastly, we asked the participants if they found
small tasks such as lifting small objects or climbing stairs difficult. With ageing, joints and
muscles tend to degrade leading to an increase in frailty; which in turn can cause discomfort and
potential nerve damage in later stages of life. As discovered by the survey, 10 participants did
not find small tasks difficult, 1 person did, and 1 person occasionally found those tasks difficult.
Retired adults tend to suffer from sarcopenia, frailty, and other conditions mainly due to
inactivity. They should be exercising to keep their muscles from degrading and prevent obesity
and uncomfortable retirements. However, as we discovered, exercising does not always prevent
frailty from being developed or stopped all together. The only surefire way to ensure that
retirement will be comfortable is to start early and to continue testing the bodys limits
throughout all stages of life and to maintain healthy lifestyles in general. Though it is an
extremely long work in progress, I believe that the results will be well worth the wait.
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Works Cited
Bales, Connie W., and Christine S. Ritchie. "Sarcopenia, Weight Loss, and Nutritional Frailty in
the Elderly." Annual Review of Nutrition, vol. 22, 2002, pp. 309-23, ProQuest
Central,
http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/20414750
8?accountid=10008.
Clark, Brian C., and Todd M. Manini. "What is Dynapenia?" Nutrition, vol. 28, no. 5, 2012, pp.
http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/10369632
34?accountid=10008, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2011.12.002. +
Factora, Ronan. Aging and Preventive Health. Cleveland Clinic Med Ed, Cleveland Clinic
www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/preventive-
Halil, M., et al. "Sarcopenia Assessment Project in the Nursing Homes in Turkey."European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 68, no. 6, 2014, pp. 690-4, ProQuest Central,
http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/15319843
20?accountid=10008, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.15. +
Morat, Tobias, and Heinz Mechling. "Training in the Functional Movement Circle to Promote
Controlled Trial." European Journal of Ageing, vol. 12, no. 2, 2015, pp. 105-118,
ProQuest Central,
http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/16764532
30?accountid=10008, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10433-014-0325-9.
Obesity." Nutrition Reviews, vol. 63, no. 10, 2005, pp. 321-31, Research Library,
http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/21233302
5?accountid=10008. +
Vincent, Heather K., et al. "Functional Impairment in Obesity: A Focus on Knee and Back
Pain." Pain Management, vol. 1, no. 5, 2011, pp. 427-439, ProQuest Central,
http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/88813969
8?accountid=10008, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2217/pmt.11.39.
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