Garza-González EL, Gallegos-Flores EA, Hernández-Gutiérrez J, Flores-Monsivais JE, Nava-González EJ

Language: Spanish
References: 0
Page: 23-32
PDF size: 201.44 Kb.

ABSTRACT

During our life span the body experiences profound changes at the level of our corporal composition. Such changes become quite obvious during the process of aging. Sarcopenia is defined as the progressive and constant loss of lean muscle mass as well as the function and strength of skeletal muscle. It is usually presented as a process of aging, in which the body experiences a progressive deterioration of quality, reduction in size, number of muscle fibers, collagen, motor unit modification (which has been associated with increased percentage of fat), hormonal changes, inflammatory mechanisms, oxidative stress, protein intake and physical activity. Aging can be considered as the resistance of several anabolic stimuli to the muscle (central nervous system [CNS], growth hormone, estrogen, testosterone, dietary protein, physical activity, insulin action) and possibly the development of several natural catabolic processes (TNF-1), interleukin-6 [IL-6], interleukin-11 [IL-11, IL-1 receptor antagonist , IL-1R1]). Although the causes of sarcopenia are still not clearly understood, there are many potential mechanisms that have been investigated to a greater or lesser extent, such as age, diseases related to nutrition, and physical activity. Criteria for characterizing the presence of sarcopenia include muscle amount, muscle function, and physical performance. Integrating these parameters with measurements of molecular biomarkers during the clinical evaluation could lead to an earlier diagnosis in order to avoid the complications associated with muscular fragility.