The role of physical activity in counteracting age-related sarcopenia and cancer cachexia: A brief literature review

Abstract

Muscle tissue plays several important health functions . In addition to the important mechanical functions, it represents the biggest reserve of body proteins and it is also able to produce several myokines that are able to induce important beneficial effects, through the interaction with different organs. The loss of muscle mass has a tremendous impact on health and it is not surprising that a great interest has raised on two degenerative, irreversible and unstoppable conditions known as sarcopenia and cachexia. Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, is not a disease or a syndrome, it is not even a medical sign sometimes. Indeed, a general consensus among scientists does not exist regarding the definition and the identification criteria of this condition. On the other hand, cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by an uncontrolled and unstoppable loss of muscle mass, associated with fatigue and weakness. It is often associated with a disease like cancer, AIDS, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis etc. Given the complexity of these muscle conditions and considering that during aging and cancer there is an increased risk of comorbidities, regular physical activity might be a crucial point to be carefully evaluated on a single patient basis. The aim of this review is to highlight the impact on society and the etiology of sarcopenia and cancer cachexia, with particular regard to the role played by physical activity in preventing and counteracting these muscle-wasting conditions, focusing attention also on the limitation factors that must be considered during the prescription of physical activity to sarcopenic and cachectic patients. Key words: Sarcopenia, Cachexia, Muscle Tissue, Muscle Wasting, Physical Activity, Aging, Cancer. SažetakMišićno tkivo ima nekoliko važnih uloga po ljudsko zdravlje. Pored značajne mehaničke funkcije, ono predstavlja i najveći depo telesnih proteina. Osim toga, proizvodi i nekoliko miokina koji su, kroz interakcije sa drugim organima, u stanju da indukuju veoma bitne efekte. Gubitak mišićne mase ima izuzetan uticaj na zdravlje i ne iznenađuje činjenica da se sve više pažnje obraća na dva degenerativna, ireverzibilna i nezaustavljiva stanja, poznatija kao sarkopenija i kaheksija. Sarkopenija, starosno zavisan gubitak mišićne mase, nije ni bolest ni sindrom, čak nekada nije ni medicinski znak. Konsenzus naučnika zapravo nije utemeljio preciznu definiciju, kao ni kriterijume u vezi sa ovim stanjem. S druge strane, kaheksija predstavlja sindrom gubitka i karakteriše je nekontrolisan i nezaustavljiv gubitak mišićne mase, povezan sa umorom i slabošću. Često je povezana sa bolestima kao što su sindrom stečene imunodeficijencije (fr. syndrome d'immunodéficience acquise, SIDA), hronična opstruktivna bolest pluća (HOBP), multipla skleroza, tuberkuloza itd. Imajući u vidu kompleksnost ovih stanja povezanih sa mišić-nom masom, kao i činjenicu da je tokom starenja i u slučaju karcinoma povećan rizik od komorbiditeta, smatra se da redo...

The Effects of Physical Activity on Obesity Among the Elderly – A Systematic Review

“…During the normal aging process, changes in body composition occurs in the form of a decrease in muscle mass and increase in fat mass, that is, the development of sarcopenia, which represents an important cause of bone brittleness, instability, the occurrence of disability and loss of independent movement among the elderly (Weinheimer, Sands, & Campbell, 2010). In addition to the effects of PE on the elderly, related to the prevention and eradication of sarcopenia and cachexia through a combination of aerobic and weight training exercises (Scalabrin & Caporossi, 2016), it was determined that PA have a beneficial effect on relieving joint pain among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis of the knees, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Rejeski, Brawley, & Shumaker, 1996), a decrease in fatigue, increase in energy (Cochrane, Munro, Davey, & Nicholl, 1998) and quality of sleep (Singh, Clements, & Fiatarone, 1997). Obesity, accompanied by physical weakness and other health complications due to a decrease in daily PA, represents one of the main causes of the occurrence of disability among the elderly (Villareal, Banks, Siener, Sinacore, & Klein, 2004).…”