Americans do nothing to stop muscle loss

Being sedentary causes muscle loss

A survey has discovered that 70 percent of Americans are worried about muscle loss and yet almost all of them are doing absolutely nothing to stop this from happening.

Nine out of 10 people revealed that becoming weaker is what they consider to be the worst aspect of growing older, according to the survey which was commissioned by Abbott and developed in conjunction with the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging.

However, despite so many Americans feeling fearful of muscle loss, a massive 90 percent of those over the age of 45 are not taking steps to protect their muscles as they age, such as daily exercise and eating nutritional food.

"Muscle loss is a serious issue that can lead to severe health and lifestyle consequences, yet building and maintaining muscle isn't top of mind for most adults," said Dr. Evelyn Granieri, who works at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and provided expert input into the survey before it was fielded.

"Especially with an aging baby boomer population, it's important that people take charge of their health and take action now so that they can continue doing the things they enjoy in the future" she continued.

1,000 nationally representative Americans over the age of 18 participated in the study, along with an over-sample of 200 interviews with American adults who have suffered from a serious injury or temporary illness during the past year. The interviews were conducted online between 10-16 February 2010.

Muscle loss and the aging process

Clinical research has revealed that from the age of 40, the human body can lose as much as eight percent of its muscle every decade and of course this ultimately leads to a loss of strength and mobility. Indeed, a third of the Americans over the age of 45 who were surveyed highlighted exactly these losses as reasons for giving up activities they had previously enjoyed, due to the fact that could not physically do them any more.

"With a rapidly growing aging population in the US, muscle health is an important issue that everyone over the age of 40 should seriously consider," said Dr. Granieri. "Talking to your doctor or dietitian is a great way to establish small steps to take to protect your muscle health today so you can have a much more active and productive life as you age."

According to Medline Plus, a service of the US National Library of Medicine, one type of muscle loss occurs simply through not doing enough exercise. "In most people, muscle atrophy is caused by not using the muscles enough" claimed Medline Plus. "People with sedentary jobs, medical conditions that limit their movement, or decreased activity levels can lose muscle tone and develop atrophy. This type of atrophy can be reversed with exercise and better nutrition."

Halting and/or reversing muscle loss

Ann Etheridge, a fitness trainer and owner of Living in Balance, said muscle mass can be built over the space of six weeks, although she pointed out that "For you to begin seeing results you have to be consistent with your exercise for six weeks straight."

She went on to discuss the effects that inconsistent or lack of exercise can have, saying: "The most startling news is that while it takes six weeks to build muscle, it only takes three weeks to lose muscle mass. You can see, with all the on again/off again exercise, it will be difficult to obtain the results you are working towards." 

Thus, although it possible to build muscles up in less than two months, this can only be achieved through complete dedication to doing consistent exercise and eating well. Otherwise, the muscle loss will continue.

For the majority of Americans this is easier said than done, and without outside help and encouragement it can seem near on impossible for the majority.

In fact, the survey revealed that, despite the risks associated with muscle loss, only a quarter of the respondents incorporate both a balanced diet and resistance training into their everyday routine and 80 percent of Americans over age 45 have never discussed the issue with their physician.
 
Illness, injury and muscle loss

For people recovering from an illness or injury, or recovering from surgery, muscle loss is even more severe. The study found that 70 percent of patients who suffered a serious medical setback did not expect muscle loss to be a problem during their recovery.

However, around 60 percent of recently hospitalized respondents did report a noticeable loss in muscle mass. Yet only around 30 percent did anything to combat this once they had been discharged from hospital.

Despite the availability of help and information, the majority of Americans are reluctant to seek assistance or take steps to prevent muscle loss, and as a result suffer the very thing they fear the most.

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