Effects of Exercise Programs in older adults with Muscle Wasting: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Effects of Exercise Programs in Muscle Wasting

Abstract

Objectives: To conduct a comprehensive evidence synthesis to verify the available literature on the effects of exercise intervention on muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function in older adults with muscle wasting. MethodsSystematic literature searches of the PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Airiti Library databases were performed for exercise-related randomized controlled trials among adults aged 60 years and above with muscle wasting disease, published from 2010 to April 30, 2021. The search included the keywords and synonyms: “older,” “sarcopenia,” “cachexia,” “muscle wasting,” “exercise’. ResultsThe systematic review included 34 studies: 25 on patients with sarcopenia and 9 on patients with cachexia. Sarcopenia and cachexia were analyzed as separate subgroups. The effects of exercise in the sarcopenia group showed significant improvement in the following parameters: body composition (appendicular skeletal muscle [ASM] [standardized mean difference, SMD 0.38, P = 0.05] and ASM/height2 [SMD 0.14, P = 0.02]), muscle strength (grip strength [SMD 1.73, P < 0.0001]), and physical performance (gait speed [SMD 0.14, P < 0.00001] and the timed up and go test [SMD -1.20, P < 0.00001]). Similarly, in the cachexia group, exercise intervention showed improvement in the body composition (ASM [SMD 3.38, P = 0.001]) and physical performance (400 m walk [SMD -36.00, P = 0.02]). ConclusionsExercise intervention has significant benefits in older adults with muscle wasting diseases. More well-designed large-sample-sized studies with long-term follow-ups are warranted to verify the benefits of exercise intervention in this population.