Exercising in the middle age may act as a protective shield against sarcopenia and help boost muscle strength and physical performance, a new study explained. Sarcopenia is a disease associated with the ageing process, resulting in loss of skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength and/or function in the elderly. The multiple adverse health outcomes include physical disability, poor quality of life and premature death.

The study assessed the prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with physical performance in 1000 elderly Japanese participants (349 men and 651 women aged ≥65 years) enrolled in the Research on Osteoarthritis/Osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD) Study. Handgrip strength, gait speed, and skeletal muscle mass were measured and other information collected, including exercise habits in middle age.

The prevalence of sarcopenia was 13.8% in men and 12.4% in women, and tended to be significantly higher with increasing age in both sexes. Factors associated with sarcopenia were chair stand time (odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04-1.14), one-leg standing time (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99), and exercise habit in middle age (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.31-0.90) after adjusting for age, sex and body mass index (BMI).