The Impact of Resistance Exercise on Skeletal Muscle in Older Adults: A Literature Review

Ahmad G. Butt

doi:10.26685/urncst.204

Abstract

Introduction: Sarcopenia is a prevalent disease characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength in older adults. Sarcopenia is associated with decreased mobility, quality of life; impaired metabolism, cell signalling; as well as an increased likelihood of disease, infection, falls, and early mortality rates. Resistance exercise (RE, i.e., weight-lifting) is an efficacious, non-pharmacological intervention used to mitigate the impacts of sarcopenia. The aim of this literature review is to summarize the effects of resistance exercise on skeletal muscle mass, strength, power, and function in community-dwelling older adults, as well as provide general resistance exercise recommendations for older adults to effectively counter sarcopenia. Methods: We conducted a literature review to assess the impact of resistance exercise on muscle mass, muscle strength, muscle power, and functional capacity in older adults based on three primary criteria: 1) tested healthy, community dwelling participants ≥ 60 years old; 2) assessed the effects of RE on at least one of the aforementioned outcomes; and 3) were peer-reviewed and written in English. Results: Studies involving both sexes and various RE programs regularly show increased skeletal muscle mass and strength following RE training. Additionally, RE appears to improve older adults’ neuromuscular performance, though improvements are significantly higher following high-intensity RE sessions. Further, RE improves skeletal muscle function as measured by various qualitative and quantitative tests. Although no specific RE program has been definitively shown to optimally support skeletal muscle adaptation in all older adults, RE, even in small doses, is clearly beneficial for older adults’ skeletal muscle health. Discussion: Undoubtedly, RE has shown to be an efficacious treatment for sarcopenia. To achieve a more comprehensive understanding of how RE counteracts sarcopenia, further research – particularly well controlled randomized trials – are needed to elucidate the cellular processes underlying skeletal muscle’s deterioration with advancing age and subsequent response to RE. Conclusion: Taken all together, RE has a positive impact on skeletal muscle mass, strength, neuromuscular performance, and muscle function in older adults.

Highlights

Sarcopenia is a prevalent disease characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength in older adults
Sarcopenia presents in a substantial proportion of older adults, and recent estimates place the prevalence of sarcopenia at 1–29% in community-dwelling populations, 14–33% in long-term care adults, and ~10% in acute healthcare populations [3], though prevalence rates can vary by ethnicity and country [4]
Many of the studies reviewed involved a specific type of RE called progressive resistance exercise (PRE), which is an exercise intervention in which exercise load increases proportional to individual’s strength

Summary

Introduction

Sarcopenia is a prevalent disease characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength in older adults. The loss of muscle mass and strength yields cascading molecular and systemwide adverse effects in the human body, such as decreased muscle power [5], mobility [6], and quality of life [7]; impaired metabolism [8] and cell signalling [9]; as well as an increased susceptibility to disease and infection [10], risk of falls [11], and early mortality rates [12]. RE potently stimulates skeletal muscle anabolism [17,18,19]; progressive bouts of RE, especially when paired with dietary protein ingestion, result

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion