The Muscle Longevity: What Can We Do To Slow It Down?

activity is the key

Building and Protecting Muscle Across the Years

The first three articles of this series have taken us through a progression that begins with recognition and gradually moves toward possibility. We first asked what sarcopenia is and discovered that it is more than the simple loss of muscle that accompanies getting older. We then looked beneath the surface and found a biological process shaped by changes in protein turnover, anabolic responsiveness, motor units, mitochondria, satellite cells, hormones, inflammation, metabolism, and the environment surrounding muscle. Finally, we examined the conditions that can accelerate this trajectory—physical inactivity, illness, hospitalization, inadequate nutrition, chronic disease, metabolic dysfunction, and other stresses that can place additional demands on aging muscle.

This brings us to the question that naturally follows: if aging muscle can decline, but its trajectory can also be influenced by the conditions surrounding it, what can we do to slow it down?

The answer does not begin with a promise to reverse aging. It begins with a finding that gives this conversation a different direction: aging muscle remains capable of responding to appropriate stimuli.

That does not mean older muscle responds exactly as younger muscle does. Aging changes the physiological environment in which adaptation takes place. But it does not necessarily eliminate the capacity to adapt.

And that is where action becomes possible.


1. THE MUSCLE STILL RESPONDS

One of the questions raised in Article 2 was whether the biological changes of aging eventually make muscle incapable of adapting. Recent evidence suggests a more nuanced answer.

Kristiansen et al. (2026) examined age-related anabolic resistance through a systematic review and meta-analysis of muscle protein synthesis under different physiological conditions. Their findings indicate that older adults may have lower muscle protein synthesis in post-absorptive and some post-prandial conditions, yet the response to exercise is not uniformly diminished. Their work therefore challenges the idea that aging simply switches off the muscle's ability to respond; instead, the responsiveness of aging muscle appears to depend on the stimulus and the physiological context in which it occurs.

This gives us an important starting point. If aging muscle were no longer capable of adaptation, efforts to preserve it would have a very different rationale. But if the muscle can still respond, then the question becomes how we can provide the conditions that support that response.

One of the most established ways of doing that is through resistance exercise.


2. RESISTANCE EXERCISE: THE STRONGEST SIGNAL

Resistance exercise gives muscle a reason to adapt. When muscles are challenged to produce force against resistance, the body receives a stimulus that can support changes in strength and, depending on the program and individual, muscle size and physical performance.

Recent research has strengthened the evidence behind this approach. Sun et al. (2025) analyzed 22 randomized controlled trials involving 959 older adults with sarcopenia and found that resistance training improved muscle strength, while effects on body composition were more limited and varied across outcomes. Their findings reinforce an important feature of intervention research: an intervention can produce a meaningful physiological response without producing the same magnitude of change in every measure.

Radaelli et al. (2025) examined the question of exercise volume on a much larger scale, reviewing 151 randomized trials involving 6,306 older adults. Their analysis found that lower-volume resistance training could improve physical function, lean body mass, and lower-body hypertrophy, while moderate- to higher-volume training appeared more effective for lower-limb strength. The authors also noted that evidence remains limited for older adults who are physically impaired, reminding us that findings from one population cannot automatically be transferred to another.

Yan et al. (2025) reached a similarly nuanced conclusion after analyzing 24 randomized controlled trials involving 951 older adults with sarcopenia. Resistance training improved handgrip strength, gait speed, knee-extension strength, timed-up-and-go performance, and five-times-sit-to-stand performance, while the effects on muscle mass were less consistent. Rather than identifying one universally optimal prescription, the authors' findings suggest that exercise dose and program characteristics need to be considered in relation to the outcome being targeted.

Across these studies, the evidence points in the same general direction while resisting a simplistic formula. Resistance training can improve important aspects of muscular capacity, but the magnitude of benefit depends on what is being measured, how the training is designed, and who is receiving it.

This leads to a question that is easy to overlook:

What exactly are we trying to preserve?


3. STRENGTH IS NOT THE ONLY OUTCOME

If the objective were simply to increase muscle size, intervention research would be easier to interpret. But sarcopenia is not defined by muscle size alone, and the purpose of maintaining muscle is ultimately connected to what that muscle allows a person to do.

Strength, muscle mass, power, and physical function are related, but they are not interchangeable. An intervention may improve strength without producing a large increase in muscle mass, while another may increase lean body mass without producing an equivalent improvement in a person's ability to perform everyday movements. The studies by Sun et al. (2025), Radaelli et al. (2025), and Yan et al. (2025) illustrate this variability across outcomes.

This is why the question “Did the intervention build muscle?” is not enough. A more meaningful evaluation asks whether the intervention helped preserve or improve the capacities that allow a person to stand, walk, climb, carry, recover, and remain physically engaged with everyday life.

The measurement matters because the outcome matters.

And once we look beyond muscle size, nutrition becomes part of the story.


4. PROTEIN: PROVIDING THE BUILDING MATERIAL

Muscle does not maintain itself through exercise alone. It is continuously being built, broken down, repaired, and remodeled, and adequate nutritional resources are necessary to support these processes.

This becomes particularly relevant in later life because appetite, dietary intake, illness, and other circumstances can make adequate nutrition more difficult to achieve. Protein has therefore become an important area of research in sarcopenia, particularly when considered alongside resistance exercise.

Whaikid and Piaseu (2024) examined protein supplementation combined with resistance exercise among community-dwelling older adults with sarcopenia. Their review included seven randomized controlled trials and one quasi-experimental study involving 854 participants, and the combined approach was associated with improvements in muscle mass and strength. The authors nevertheless emphasized that the limited number of randomized trials restricts the robustness of the evidence.

Li et al. (2024) examined randomized controlled trials of whey protein supplementation with or without resistance training and found that effects were not uniform across outcomes. Their findings contribute to a broader picture in which protein may support some aspects of muscle health, but supplementation alone cannot be treated as a universal answer to age-related muscle decline.

The ESPEN practical guideline on clinical nutrition and hydration in geriatrics likewise emphasizes individualized nutritional care, taking into account a person's health condition, nutritional status, risks, and broader circumstances rather than applying one nutritional strategy to every older adult (Volkert et al., 2022).

The evidence therefore brings us to a more balanced understanding. Exercise provides an important stimulus for adaptation, while nutrition provides resources that support the body's ability to respond; neither should be reduced to the assumption that more is automatically better.

This raises the next question:

What happens when the signal and the resources are considered together?


5. EXERCISE + PROTEIN: WHEN SIGNAL MEETS RESOURCE

The combination of exercise and nutrition has attracted considerable attention because muscle adaptation depends on more than a single input. Resistance exercise provides a stimulus, while protein and overall nutritional adequacy provide resources that can support the processes involved in remodeling muscle.

Zhao et al. (2025) examined exercise and nutritional strategies through a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials involving older adults with sarcopenia. Their analysis found favorable effects from combined exercise and nutrition strategies on several outcomes, with resistance exercise combined with protein supplementation showing particularly favorable results for some measures of strength and gait. However, the certainty of evidence for many comparisons was low or very low, limiting how confidently the findings can be translated into one universal prescription.

Cao et al. (2026) expanded this evidence base through a network meta-analysis of 115 randomized controlled trials involving 10,967 participants and 27 intervention approaches. Their findings showed that different interventions ranked differently depending on whether the outcome was muscle strength, lean body mass, or physical performance. The authors also reported favorable results for multimodal approaches, while their GRADE assessment indicated limited certainty in the overall evidence.

What emerges from these studies is less a recipe than a principle: muscle adaptation occurs within a system. The stimulus matters, the available resources matter, and the person's physiological and practical circumstances influence how those inputs translate into outcomes.

That broader perspective also helps explain why aerobic activity belongs in the conversation.


6. AEROBIC EXERCISE HAS A PLACE TOO

Muscle does not function in isolation from the rest of the body. Everyday movement requires a combination of muscular strength, cardiovascular capacity, coordination, balance, and endurance, which means that preserving physical capability involves more than developing one dimension of fitness.

The World Health Organization's guidelines recommend that older adults engage in a combination of aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening activity, and multicomponent physical activity emphasizing functional balance and strength. The guidelines also recognize that some physical activity is better than none and that activity should be appropriate to a person's abilities and circumstances (World Health Organization, 2020).

This broader approach is consistent with the evidence discussed throughout the series. Article 3 showed how prolonged inactivity can accelerate decline, while the intervention literature demonstrates that physical capacity can respond to appropriately designed exercise.

The question, then, is not whether resistance exercise should replace aerobic activity. It is how different forms of movement can work together to preserve the capacities required for living.

And one of those capacities becomes particularly important when life does not move according to plan: the ability to produce force quickly.


7. POWER AND FUNCTION: TRAINING FOR THE UNEXPECTED

Strength tells us how much force a muscle can produce. Power adds another dimension: how quickly that force can be generated.

That difference becomes meaningful in situations that require an immediate physical response. Rising from a chair, climbing stairs, stepping over an obstacle, recovering from a stumble, or responding to a sudden change in balance may require not only sufficient strength but the ability to produce force within a limited period of time.

Research on power training suggests that this dimension deserves consideration. Balachandran et al. (2022) analyzed 20 randomized controlled trials involving 566 older adults and found modest benefits of power training over traditional strength training for physical function, although the authors rated the certainty of evidence as low.

El Hadouchi et al. (2022), examining 15 trials involving 583 participants, found that power training produced greater improvements in muscle power and several activity-based performance measures than traditional strength training. The authors nevertheless called for further research into optimal training parameters and standardized outcome measurement.

Bandeira-Guimarães et al. (2023) examined different power-training intensities and found no clear evidence that one intensity was universally superior, although their analysis was based on a small number of randomized trials. The evidence therefore does not give us one standardized power-training prescription; instead, it reinforces the idea that the ability to produce force quickly is a meaningful component of physical capacity that deserves attention.

We do not move through life in a laboratory, and the physical demands placed on us are not always predictable.

Sometimes the body needs strength.

Sometimes it needs endurance.

And sometimes it needs to respond quickly.


8. WHEN ILLNESS OR HOSPITALIZATION INTERRUPTS THE PLAN

Even a well-designed approach to muscle preservation has to account for something no lifestyle plan can completely eliminate: disruption.

Illness, surgery, hospitalization, injury, and periods of enforced inactivity can change a person's physical trajectory in a matter of days or weeks. The question is therefore not only how to build and preserve muscle during stable periods, but how to respond when that stability is interrupted.

Aldrich et al. (2025) examined acute sarcopenia during hospitalization through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Their review describes acute sarcopenia as a condition that may emerge during or after acute illness or injury and found evidence that clinically important changes in muscle-related measures can occur during relatively short periods of hospitalization, although changes were not uniform across measures.

Casuso et al. (2024), in a systematic review and meta-regression of muscle disuse, found that periods of disuse can produce substantial declines in muscular and cardiovascular fitness, with strength and fitness often declining more than muscle mass. Their findings help explain why a person may experience a noticeable loss of physical capability even when changes in measured muscle size appear relatively modest.

These findings bring us back to the concept of trajectory introduced in Article 3. Muscle preservation cannot simply mean maintaining a perfect routine without interruption; it must also include the capacity to recover after periods in which illness or circumstance changes what a person can do.

An illness may resolve. Hospitalization may end. Movement may gradually return, nutrition may be restored, and rehabilitation may help rebuild lost capacity.

Recovery is therefore part of the muscle-aging story.


9. WHAT ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS AND PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACHES?

Because sarcopenia has biological mechanisms, researchers have understandably explored whether nutritional supplements and pharmacological therapies can directly influence those mechanisms.

The field is active, but the evidence remains considerably less settled than the evidence for exercise.

Yang et al. (2026) reviewed the development of pharmacological interventions for sarcopenia and noted that, despite substantial research, no specific pharmacological agent has yet received regulatory approval for sarcopenia. Their review also highlights a recurring issue in the field: some investigational therapies can increase muscle mass, but increases in muscle mass have not consistently translated into improvements in muscle strength or physical function.

Zhang et al. (2026) compared nutritional and pharmacological interventions through a systematic review and network meta-analysis involving 59 randomized controlled trials and 5,543 participants. Their findings showed different effects across outcomes, reinforcing the importance of distinguishing changes in muscle mass from improvements in strength, function, and quality of life.

This distinction is central to the way we should evaluate emerging therapies.

A larger muscle measurement may be biologically interesting. But if that change does not translate into greater physical capability or meaningful improvement in daily life, its practical significance remains uncertain.

The research continues, and scientific uncertainty is not a reason to dismiss the field. It is a reason to evaluate emerging interventions carefully and resist promises that have moved ahead of the evidence.


10. THE INTERVENTION HAS TO FIT THE PERSON

There is another part of the evidence that cannot be captured by a laboratory measurement.

An intervention may be effective under controlled conditions and still fail to become meaningful in everyday life if a person cannot realistically sustain it. Older adults live within families, communities, homes, financial circumstances, transportation systems, cultural expectations, and physical environments, all of which can influence what is possible.

Yang et al. (2024), in a mixed-methods systematic review of exercise adherence among community-dwelling older adults, examined the factors that influence whether people begin and continue exercising. Their analysis identified interacting influences involving capability, motivation, opportunity, social circumstances, and the environment, demonstrating that adherence is not simply a matter of knowing that exercise is beneficial.

The consensus guidelines developed for Australia and New Zealand likewise emphasize person-centred approaches and tailored resistance exercise, recognizing the importance of adapting prevention and management strategies to individual circumstances (Zanker et al., 2023). The guideline was developed through a modified Delphi process involving experts and consumer input.

This changes how we should think about the “best” intervention.

The best intervention is not necessarily the one that produces the largest result under ideal research conditions.

It may be the one that produces meaningful benefit and can become part of a person's actual life.


11. BUILDING MUSCLE IS NOT A SHORT PROJECT

Most intervention studies have a beginning and an end. Participants enter a program, follow a protocol for a defined period, and researchers measure what changes.

Life does not work that way.

Muscle is continually being built, broken down, repaired, challenged, and adapted. Periods of activity can be followed by inactivity; health can change; circumstances can change; priorities can change. The process therefore continues long after a formal intervention has ended.

This is why the long-term question is not simply whether a person can complete an exercise program. It is whether the behaviors and conditions that support physical capacity can become sustainable enough to remain part of life.

The research on exercise adherence reinforces this challenge. Capability, motivation, opportunity, environment, and social support all influence whether an intervention becomes something a person continues rather than something they complete and leave behind (Yang et al., 2024).

And perhaps this is where the science becomes a little more personal.

An intervention is something we do. A lifestyle is something we sustain.

We do not need to pursue the strongest body possible. We need to preserve enough capacity for the body we will need in the years ahead.

Muscle preservation is not a project we finish. It is a relationship we maintain with our bodies across the years.


12. WHAT THE EVIDENCE CANNOT YET PROMISE

Evidence-based aging requires us to recognize not only what research has demonstrated, but also where the evidence remains uncertain.

The evidence is strong enough to support the role of regular physical activity and resistance exercise in maintaining and improving important aspects of physical capacity. Research also supports the importance of adequate nutrition and suggests that combining exercise with appropriate nutritional support can benefit some outcomes in older adults with sarcopenia.

But the evidence does not establish one exercise prescription that is optimal for everyone. It does not show that increases in muscle mass automatically translate into improvements in every measure of physical function, and it does not establish a single nutritional supplement or pharmacological therapy as a universal solution.

The research also varies considerably in study population, intervention design, duration, outcome measurement, and certainty. Some studies include relatively healthy community-dwelling older adults, while evidence involving people with greater physical impairment, acute illness, or complex health conditions remains more limited.

These limitations do not weaken the central evidence. Instead, they tell us where confidence should be high and where it should remain appropriately cautious.

We know enough to support action.

We do not yet know enough to promise perfection.

And perhaps that is how responsible science should guide us: act where the evidence is strong, remain curious where it is incomplete, and never confuse possibility with proof.


13. FROM INTERVENTION TO STEWARDSHIP

After following the research across exercise, nutrition, recovery, adherence, and emerging therapies, the larger picture becomes clearer.

The aging muscle is not a machine that simply wears out according to a predetermined schedule. It is living tissue within a living person, responding to movement, nutrition, illness, recovery, environment, and the circumstances of everyday life.

Resistance exercise can provide a powerful stimulus. Adequate nutrition can provide resources for adaptation. Aerobic and multicomponent activity contribute to broader physical capacity, while attention to power reminds us that function involves more than how much force a muscle can produce under controlled conditions.

Periods of illness or inactivity can interrupt that trajectory, but recovery and rehabilitation can become part of the process as well. And the sustainability of any intervention ultimately depends on whether it can fit within the life of the person who is expected to continue it.

The evidence therefore does not give us a single formula.

It gives us a way of thinking:

Stimulus.
Resources.
Adaptation.
Recovery.
Continuity.

The science tells us that muscle can respond. The challenge is creating conditions that allow that response to become part of a sustainable life.

Perhaps this is what stewardship means in the context of aging.

It is not an attempt to defeat time or negotiate with biology. It is the deliberate recognition that while we cannot control every condition that will shape our years, we can pay attention to the capacities we have and make reasonable choices that support them.

We cannot guarantee how long we will live.

But perhaps we can influence, to some degree, the condition in which we meet the years ahead.


A THOUGHT I AM TAKING WITH ME

When I began this series, I thought the conversation about sarcopenia would mainly be about muscle loss.

It has turned out to be about something much larger.

It is about capacity.

I cannot stop aging. None of us can. But learning that an aging muscle does not simply lose its ability to respond has changed the way I think about my own years ahead.

I may not be able to prevent every illness, every period of inactivity, or every physical limitation. But I can become more attentive to the muscle I have, understand the conditions that challenge it, and give my body opportunities to maintain the capacity it still possesses.

Perhaps the goal was never to become exceptionally strong.

Perhaps it is to remain strong enough for the life ahead.

Strong enough to rise from a chair. Strong enough to walk where I want to go, carry what needs to be carried, recover when I stumble, and continue participating in the ordinary activities that make a life feel like my own.

And perhaps that is the deeper reason muscle matters.

Not because muscle itself is the destination, but because of what it makes possible.

Which leaves me with one question:

What is all this strength for?

Because if the purpose of preserving muscle is ultimately to preserve our ability to participate in life, then strength is not simply a physical attribute.

It is capacity.

It is resilience.

It is possibility.

And that is where our next conversation begins.


THE MUSCLE OF LONGEVITY

WHY DOES MUSCLE MATTER TO LONGEVITY?

Strength, Function, Resilience, and the Life We Want to Keep Living

If we can preserve strength, what does that strength allow us to keep doing?

If we can preserve power, what might that help us recover from?

If we can preserve mobility and physical function, how might those capacities shape the experience of living longer?

In Article 5, we move from building and protecting muscle to understanding what that muscle makes possible: strength, function, resilience, participation, and ultimately, the life we want to keep living.

References

  • Aldrich, L., Ispoglou, T., Prokopidis, K., Alqallaf, J., Wilson, O., & Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou, A. (2025). Acute sarcopenia: Systematic review and meta-analysis on its incidence and muscle parameter shifts during hospitalisation. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 16(1), e13662.
    Verify DOI 10.1002/jcsm.13662
  • Balachandran, A. T., Steele, J., Angielczyk, D., Belio, M., Schoenfeld, B. J., Quiles, N., Askin, N., & Abou-Setta, A. M. (2022). Comparison of power training vs traditional strength training on physical function in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 5(5), e2211623.
    Verify DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.11623
  • Bandeira-Guimarães, M., Blanco-Rambo, E., Vieira, A. F., Sáez de Asteasu, M. L., Pinto, R. S., Izquierdo, M., & Cadore, E. L. (2023). Chronic effects of different intensities of power training on neuromuscular parameters in older people: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine - Open, 9, 98.
    Verify DOI 10.1186/s40798-023-00646-9
  • Cao, J., Liu, Y., Hu, J., Zhai, T., Pang, Z., Li, R., & Dang, F. (2026). Comparative efficacy of combined exercise and nutritional interventions for sarcopenia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis incorporating remote delivery models. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 147, 106239.
    Verify DOI 10.1016/j.archger.2026.106239
  • Casuso, R. A., Huertas, J. R., & Aragón-Vela, J. (2024). The role of muscle disuse in muscular and cardiovascular fitness: A systematic review and meta-regression. European Journal of Sport Science, 24(6), 812–823.
    Verify DOI 10.1002/ejsc.12093
  • el Hadouchi, M., Kiers, H., de Vries, R., Veenhof, C., & van Dieën, J. (2022). Effectiveness of power training compared to strength training in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 19, 18.
    Verify DOI 10.1186/s11556-022-00297-x
  • Kristiansen, J. B., Vissing, K., & Nielsen, J. L. (2026). Age-related anabolic resistance and post-absorptive muscle protein synthesis: Integrative evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 17, 1740284.
    Verify DOI 10.3389/fphys.2026.1740284
  • Li, M.-L., Zhang, F., Luo, H.-Y., Quan, Z.-W., Wang, Y.-F., Huang, L.-T., & Wang, J.-H. (2024). Improving sarcopenia in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of whey protein supplementation with or without resistance training. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 28(4), 100184.
    Verify DOI 10.1016/j.jnha.2024.100184
  • Radaelli, R., Rech, A., Molinari, T., Markarian, A. M., Petropoulou, M., Granacher, U., Hortobágyi, T., & Lopez, P. (2025). Effects of resistance training volume on physical function, lean body mass and lower-body muscle hypertrophy and strength in older adults: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 151 randomised trials. Sports Medicine, 55(1), 167–192.
    Verify DOI 10.1007/s40279-024-02123-z
  • Sun, R., Wan, J., Tang, J., Deng, Y., Zhang, M., Liu, C., Li, J., & Zhang, Q. (2025). Effectiveness of resistance training on body composition, muscle strength, and biomarker in sarcopenic older adults: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 128, 105595.
    Verify DOI 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105595
  • Volkert, D., Beck, A. M., Cederholm, T., Cruz-Jentoft, A., Hooper, L., Kiesswetter, E., Maggio, M., Raynaud-Simon, A., Sieber, C., Sobotka, L., van Asselt, D., Wirth, R., & Bischoff, S. C. (2022). ESPEN practical guideline: Clinical nutrition and hydration in geriatrics. Clinical Nutrition, 41(4), 958–989.
    Verify DOI 10.1016/j.clnu.2022.01.024
  • Whaikid, P., & Piaseu, N. (2024). The effectiveness of protein supplementation combined with resistance exercise programs among community-dwelling older adults with sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Epidemiology and Health, 46, e2024030.
    Verify DOI 10.4178/epih.e2024030
  • World Health Organization. (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. World Health Organization.
    Verify WHO guideline
  • Yang, D., Su, L., Zhang, L., Li, Y., Huang, T., & Huang, X. (2026). Development of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of sarcopenia. Annals of Translational Medicine, 14(2), 19.
    Verify DOI 10.21037/atm-2025-1-184
  • Yang, Y., Gao, Y., An, R., & Wan, Q. (2024). Barriers and facilitators to exercise adherence in community-dwelling older adults: A mixed-methods systematic review using the COM-B model and Theoretical Domains Framework. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 157, 104808.
    Verify DOI 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2024.104808
  • Yan, R., Chen, Y., Zhang, R., He, J., Lin, W., Sun, J., & Li, D. (2025). Optimal resistance training prescriptions to improve muscle strength, physical function, and muscle mass in older adults diagnosed with sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 37, 320.
    Verify DOI 10.1007/s40520-025-03235-w
  • Zanker, J., Sim, M., Anderson, K., Balogun, S., Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Dent, E., Duque, G., Girgis, C. M., Grossmann, M., Hayes, A., Henwood, T., Hirani, V., Inderjeeth, C., Iuliano, S., Keogh, J., Lewis, J. R., Lynch, G. S., Pasco, J. A., Phu, S., ... Scott, D. (2023). Consensus guidelines for sarcopenia prevention, diagnosis and management in Australia and New Zealand. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 14(1), 142–156.
    Verify DOI 10.1002/jcsm.13115
  • Zhang, M., Shen, Y., Gao, Y., Jiang, X., Yue, J., & Hao, Q. (2026). Nutritional and pharmacological interventions for sarcopenia in older adults: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 27(3), 106038.
    Verify DOI 10.1016/j.jamda.2025.106038
  • Zhao, R., Dong, Y., Zheng, Q., & Yao, J. (2025). Exercise and nutrition strategies for sarcopenia in older adults: Evidence from a network meta-analysis based on EWGSOP and AWGS criteria. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1685014.
    Verify DOI 10.3389/fnut.2025.1685014

 

 

 

 

 

Working APA 7 

  1. Aldrich, L., Ispoglou, T., Prokopidis, K., Alqallaf, J., Wilson, O., & Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou, A. (2025).Acute sarcopenia: Systematic review and meta-analysis on its incidence and muscle parameter shifts during hospitalisation. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 16(1), e13662.
    Verify DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.13662
  2. Balachandran, A. T., et al. (2022). Comparison of power training vs traditional strength training on physical function in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 5(5), e2211623.
    Verify DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.11623
  3. Bandeira-Guimarães, M., Blanco-Rambo, E., Vieira, A. F., Sáez de Asteasu, M. L., Pinto, R. S., Izquierdo, M., & Cadore, E. L. (2023). Chronic effects of different intensities of power training on neuromuscular parameters in older people: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine - Open, 9, 98.
    Verify DOI: 10.1186/s40798-023-00646-9
  4. Cao, J., Liu, Y., Hu, J., Zhai, T., Pang, Z., Li, R., & Dang, F. (2026). Comparative efficacy of combined exercise and nutritional interventions for sarcopenia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis incorporating remote delivery models. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 147, 106239.
    Verify DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2026.106239
  5. Casuso, R. A., Huertas, J. R., & Aragón-Vela, J. (2024). The role of muscle disuse in muscular and cardiovascular fitness: A systematic review and meta-regression. European Journal of Sport Science, 24(6), 812–823.
    Verify DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12093
  6. El Hadouchi, M., Kiers, H., de Vries, R., Veenhof, C., & van Dieën, J. (2022). Effectiveness of power training compared to strength training in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 19, 18.
    Verify DOI: 10.1186/s11556-022-00297-x
  7. Kristiansen, J. B., Vissing, K., & Nielsen, J. L. (2026). Age-related anabolic resistance and post-absorptive muscle protein synthesis: Integrative evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 17, 1740284.
    Verify DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2026.1740284
  8. Li, M.-L., Zhang, F., Luo, H.-Y., Quan, Z.-W., Wang, Y.-F., Huang, L.-T., & Wang, J.-H. (2024). Improving sarcopenia in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of whey protein supplementation with or without resistance training. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 28(4), 100184.
    Verify DOI: 10.1016/j.jnha.2024.100184
  9. Radaelli, R., Rech, A., Molinari, T., Markarian, A. M., Petropoulou, M., Granacher, U., Hortobágyi, T., & Lopez, P. (2025). Effects of resistance training volume on physical function, lean body mass and lower-body muscle hypertrophy and strength in older adults: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 151 randomised trials. Sports Medicine, 55(1), 167–192.
    Verify DOI: 10.1007/s40279-024-02123-z
  10. Sun, R., Wan, J., Tang, J., Deng, Y., Zhang, M., Liu, C., Li, J., & Zhang, Q. (2025). Effectiveness of resistance training on body composition, muscle strength, and biomarker in sarcopenic older adults: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 128, 105595.
    Verify DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105595
  11. Volkert, D., Beck, A. M., Cederholm, T., Cruz-Jentoft, A., Hooper, L., Kiesswetter, E., Maggio, M., Raynaud-Simon, A., Sieber, C., Sobotka, L., van Asselt, D., Wirth, R., & Bischoff, S. C. (2022). ESPEN practical guideline: Clinical nutrition and hydration in geriatrics. Clinical Nutrition, 41(4), 958–989.
    Verify DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2022.01.024
  12. Whaikid, P., & Piaseu, N. (2024). The effectiveness of protein supplementation combined with resistance exercise programs among community-dwelling older adults with sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Epidemiology and Health, 46, e2024030.
    Verify DOI: 10.4178/epih.e2024030
  13. World Health Organization. (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. World Health Organization.
    Verify WHO guideline
  14. Yang, D., Su, L., Zhang, L., Li, Y., Huang, T., & Huang, X. (2026). Development of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of sarcopenia. Annals of Translational Medicine, 14(2), 19.
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