Muscle loss compromises the patient's recovery after treatments

Far from being just an aesthetic issue, musculature is essential for anyone undergoing treatment for any disease. The lack of this tissue increases the risk of complications and is associated with a worse prognosis. That is why it is essential to build a good reserve throughout your life and treat cases of sarcopenia – the loss of muscle mass and strength –, experts warn.

“Muscles are health protectors and are related to immunity”, explains nutritionist Diogo Toledo, from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. They have been identified as a key tissue for metabolism because they communicate with every organ in the body. Research shows that a loss of 10% leads to low immunity and infections and, if it reaches 30%, there is a 50% greater risk of pneumonia and difficulty in healing. A 40% drop doubles the risk of death.

A study carried out with patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), led by Toledo, proved that those who lost more muscle had worse outcomes, with longer use of a ventilator, longer hospitalization and a higher mortality rate.

Cancer treatment is also affected by sarcopenia. “Patients who have more muscles have fewer side effects, such as diarrhea, vomiting and fatigue, and better adherence to treatment”, says the specialist. In surgical cases, those with little muscle are at greater risk of postoperative complications, the need for ICU and home care.

“It is recommended that all patients, including cancer patients, undergo treatment to recover lean mass with physical activity and supplementation”, says the nutritionist. Of course, always under medical guidance. “This reinforces the importance of interdisciplinary treatment, including physical education, physiotherapy and nutrition professionals, among others.”

Sarcopenia in the elderly

Even in healthy elderly people, lack of muscle tissue is associated with higher all-cause mortality. Sarcopenia – and sarcopenia associated with obesity – increases the risk of death by around 30% over a ten-year period, shows a study that has just been published in JAMAthe journal of the American Medical Association, which followed almost 6 thousand people.

Muscles represent between 30 and 40% of our body and are involved in all movements, including chewing, swallowing and breathing, as well as body posture. After reaching its peak, around the age of 25, a natural loss occurs, which becomes more pronounced after the age of 40, due to aging. Obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and diseases such as cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, among others, also cause muscle loss.

“That's why it's essential to make a good reserve throughout your life, especially before the age of 40, as it's more difficult afterwards”, advises Toledo. Exams such as body composition and calf measurements, in addition to specific questionnaires, with data on the difficulty of moving around or getting up from a chair, for example, help to assess the number of muscles in the body and diagnose sarcopenia.

Treatment is based on adequate nutrition, including protein supplementation, physical activity, with strength and resistance exercises, in addition to aerobics, and good sleep hygiene, as the hormones involved in tissue repair are released while we sleep. In the case of the elderly, the recommendation also includes balance and functional exercises, which simulate activities of daily living, such as sitting and standing up.

“These are habits that should be adopted in the daily routine at all stages of life, without focusing on immediate and unsustainable results”, says the expert.

Source: CNN Brasil

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