Sarcopenia imposes a significant impact over functional ability and the quality of life of the elderly. This condition is associated with greater incidence of major geriatric outcomes – reduced mobility, falls, loss of independence, cognitive impairment and all-cause mortality.

The aim of a recent study published in the Journal of Aging Research was to access the effects of physical exercise programs compared to no exercise interventions in improving sarcopenia components and its determinants, in sarcopenic elderly individuals.

This systematic review identified data from Pubmed, related to randomized clinical trials (RCTs) which tested the effects of physical exercise programs to manage sarcopenia components in sarcopenic elder individuals. Data regarding population characteristics, muscle mass, muscle quality, muscle strength and muscle function were extracted.

Overall, 23 full-text articles and 5 RCTs were included; all trials tested the efficacy of isolated exercise programs to improve sarcopenia components in the elderly compared to no physical intervention. The findings showed that:

• Resistance training was the main intervention component in all RCTs, which was compared to health education.
• Physical training improved muscle strength, muscle quality and muscle function more than inactivity and health education.
• On the other hand, no differences could be found with respect to muscle mass, between the groups.

In inference, it was stated that resistance training protocols can improve muscle strength and physical performance in elders diagnosed with sarcopenia. However, its effect size and clinical impact may be scarcely relevant.

Source: de Mello RGB, Dalla Corte RR, Gioscia J, Moriguchi EH. Effects of Physical Exercise Programs on Sarcopenia Management, Dynapenia, and Physical Performance in the Elderly: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. J Aging Res. 2019;2019:1959486. Published 2019 Nov 20. doi:10.1155/2019/1959486