Newsletter

Understanding and Preventing Sarcopenia: A Guide for Elderly Nutrition

Title: Understanding Sarcopenia: Identifying Risks and Preventive Measures

November 2, 2023 10:13 AM

In a family, having an elderly member is akin to having a treasure. However, as elders age, their physical activity decreases, leading to dental and oral issues that result in a decreased appetite. Furthermore, muscle loss becomes a concern, which not only diminishes their overall quality of life but also increases the risk of accidental falls.

Today, Christina Yang Tingyi, a renowned nutritionist from the Good Food Class, will provide valuable insights on how to quickly identify the risk of sarcopenia and share two crucial dietary considerations to prevent or treat this condition.

Common Symptoms of Sarcopenia:

1. Reduced grip strength and difficulty lifting heavy objects: Observing the elders’ ability to open bottle caps or cans, or their capability to turn off a towel, can help determine if muscle weakness is present.

2. Sluggish movements and easy exhaustion when trying to stand up from a chair or bed.

3. Unexplained weight loss: A weight loss exceeding 5% within six months.

4. Frequent falls or instability in the feet.

Quickly Assessing Sarcopenia Risk in One Minute:

To assess sarcopenia risk, simply touch your index finger with your thumb and make a circle with both hands around the thickest part of your calf. If there is a noticeable gap between your hands, it indicates a risk of sarcopenia. Conversely, if it fits tightly or requires some effort, congratulations, your risk of sarcopenia is low.

Preventing Sarcopenia: Exercise and Nutritional Supplements:

In addition to regular exercise, incorporating certain dietary practices can significantly prevent or alleviate sarcopenia. Here are two key principles to consider:

Principle 1: Increase Protein Intake

It is recommended that older adults consume 1.2-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. For example, a 60-kg elderly person should consume 72-90 grams of protein daily. Prioritizing high-quality protein sources is essential. Additionally, incorporating leucine-rich foods such as meat, eggs, soy products, and fresh milk can stimulate muscle synthesis and improve mobility in older adults.

Principle 2: Replenish Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with sarcopenia. Fortunately, living in subtropical and tropical regions offers ample sunlight to meet vitamin D needs. A mere 20-30 minutes of sun exposure daily is sufficient. However, on rainy or sunless days, supplementation with sun-dried mushrooms, eggs, salmon, and vitamin D-fortified milk can help maintain adequate levels.

In an era dominated by information overload, online content often lacks accuracy, leaving readers perplexed. At the Good Food Class, we strive to provide reliable and informative materials that empower individuals to make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.

Author: Good Food Class

Note: This article was published by the Good Food Class and has been edited for grammatical correctness and to enhance readability without altering the original content.

Recommended Article:
1. The Vital Role of Vitamin D in Sarcopenia Prevention and Wellness.

2023-11-02 10:13:01 Yang Tingyi, nutritionist of the Good Food Class, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure, but as the elders grow older, their physical activity decreases, and there are problems dental and oral leading to a decrease in appetite

An elder in a family is like a treasure, but as the elders get older, their physical activity decreases, dental and oral problems lead to a decrease in appetite, and muscle loss will occur to some extent. , and will not only reduce the overall quality of life, but also cause muscle loss. An accidental fall is a big deal!

Today, nutritionist Christina Yang Tingyi from the Good Food Class will use a picture to teach you how to quickly and easily identify the risk of sarcopenia, and also teach you two key points in diet to help prevent or cure sarcopenia!

First, let’s understand the common symptoms of sarcopenia

1. Reduced grip strength and inability to lift heavy objects: In daily life, you can see if the elder can successfully open bottle caps or cans, or if the towel can be turned off to determine if there is muscle weakness.

2. Slow movement makes you tired easily, and it is difficult to stand up from a chair or bed.

3. Weight loss due to unknown reasons: weight loss > 5% in half a year.

4. It is easy to get weak feet or even fall again and again.

Quickly detect the risk of sarcopenia in one minute!

Touch your index finger with your index finger, and your thumb with your thumb Make a circle with both hands on the thickest side of the calf If there is still space between the two hands, it means that there is a risk of sarcopenia loudly!

If it happens to be tight, or it’s a little difficult, congratulations your risk of sarcopenia is low, keep it up!

To prevent sarcopenia, in addition to exercise, nutritional supplements like this can help you get twice the result with half the effort!

Principle 1: Increase protein intake

It is recommended that the elderly increase their protein intake to 1.2-1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day (for example, a 60-kg elderly person should consume 72-90 grams of protein per day), or they can use their hands as a scale and eat a palm-sized portion of each meal. Only the quality of the protein is relevant!

In addition, you can supplement with foods rich in leucine, such as meat, eggs, soy products (tofu pan, dried beans, soy milk), fresh milk, etc. Leucine has been found to increase muscle synthesis and improve mobility in the elderly.

Principle 2: Vitamin D must be replenished!

Vitamin D deficiency is also thought to be linked to sarcopenia! Living in subtropical and tropical countries, we have the sun at our fingertips. We don’t need to spend money on supplements. Just 20-30 minutes of sun exposure each day can provide a full supply of vitamin D!

However, from time to time there will still be days when there is continuous rain and no sunshine. At this time, you can also supplement with sun-dried mushrooms, eggs, salmon, and vitamin D fortified milk .

[Cyhoeddir yr erthygl hon gydag awdurdod y Good Food Course.Y teitl gwreiddiol yw:[#OnePictureUnderstands Eating]Understanding sarcopenia with one picture! Detect + prevent lazy bag】

Editor in charge: Gu Zihuan

Food class

In this modern era of information explosion, the information circulated on the Internet and social networking sites often lacks accuracy and leaves you confused.

Vitamin D Sarcopenia Protein

recommended article

#Preventing #sarcopenia #requires #exercise #picture #shows #eat #supplement #results #effort #Good #Food #Celebrities