Issue Date: December 7, 2008
New hope for old, shrinking muscles
It's hard for many of us to imagine, but some seniors have a difficult time performing simple daily routines (such as housework) because of age-related loss of muscle, called sarcopenia. A common "prescription" calls for more exercise -- which can lead to frustration when it doesn't seem to work.
The fact is, a person's muscle weight is influenced by many factors, including hormones. For instance, human growth hormone (HGH) levels decrease with age, and this drop is associated with a decline in muscle mass.
A new study in the "Annals of Internal Medicine" takes a unique look at this aspect of metabolism. Researchers asked if they could curtail the decline in HGH and whether doing so would help people improve their muscle weight. For two years, they studied 65 healthy adults (men and women), ages 60 to 81. They divided them into two groups -- one took a placebo, and the other took ghrelin mimetic, a substance to stimulate production of growth hormone. Result: Those receiving ghrelin mimetic did, indeed, increase HGH and muscle mass.
This small study is intriguing. If we become able to help seniors stay independent by maintaining their muscle weight and strength, we may improve their quality of life. Plus, we may curtail the societal and health care costs that come with frailty in an aging population.
Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president and CEO of Dallas' Cooper Clinic,writes HealthSmart every week.
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