Traditional Chinese Medicine and Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Sarcopenia has become a key challenge for healthy aging in older adults. However, it remains unclear whether traditional Chinese medicine can effectively treat sarcopenia. This systematic review analyzes the current evidence for the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on sarcopenia. We searched for articles regarding sarcopenia treated by TCM in Cochrane library, PubMed, SinoMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (from inception until 10 December 2021). Two researchers independently screened the literature in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria designed by PICOS principles. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) tool. The quality of evidence was assessed by the grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE). Participants’ characteristics, interventions, and the relevant results of the included studies were extracted and synthesized in a narrative way. The total number of participants in the 21 included studies was 1,330. Most of the studies evaluated physical function (n = 20) and muscle strength (n = 18), and a small number of studies (n = 6) assessed muscle mass. Overall, it was found that TCM had a positive impact on muscle strength (grip strength, chair stand test) and physical function (6-m walking speed, timed up and go test, sit and reach) in patients with sarcopenia, inconsistent evidence of effects on muscle mass. However, the small sample size of the included studies led to imprecision in the results, and the presence of blinding of the studies, allocation concealment, and unreasonable problems with the control group design made the results low grade. Among these results, the quality of evidence for grip strength (n = 10) was of medium grade, and the quality of evidence related to the remaining indicators was of low grade. This systematic review showed that traditional Chinese Qigong exercises and Chinese herbal medicine have a positive and important effect on physical performance and muscle strength in older adults with sarcopenia. Future high-quality multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with large samples are needed to determinate whether acupuncture and other therapies are effective in treating sarcopenia.

Impact of Chinese herbal medicine on sarcopenia in enhancing muscle mass, strength, and function: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…There has been no previous meta‐analysis of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of sarcopenia. Guo et al (Guo et al, 2022). studied the effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine including Chinese herb, Qigong exercise, and acupuncture on sarcopenia by a systematic review.…”

“…As an essential part of TCM, Chinese herbal medicine has been widely used around the world. Based on the theory of "bian zheng lun zhi" and Chinese philosophy, Chinese herbal medicine has long been used to treat sarcopenia (Guo et al, 2022) and its complications like muscle atrophy (Huang et al, 2022). Additionally, the beneficial therapeutic effects of herbal medicine in sarcopenia have also been proved in the sarcopenic animal models (Ding et al, 2023).…”

Research Trends in Korean Medicine Treatment for Sarcopenia: Scoping Review

“…최종 선정된 연구 45편 중 10편의 임상 연구에 포함된 한의학적 중재를 살펴보면 4편 [15][16][17][18] 은 한약에 대한 연구 였으며 이 중 3편은 추출물, 1편은 탕약이었다. 그 다음 으로 도인운동을 다룬 연구가 3편 [19][20][21] , 전침을 포함한 침술이 1건 22) 이었으며 한의복합치료는 2건 23,24) 이었다.…”

“…한약의 경우, 한국 겨우살이(Korean mistletoe) 추출물, 10편의 임상 연구 중 8편 [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] 에서 악력(handgrip strength)…”

“…의 변화를 보았고 8편 15,16,18,19,[21][22][23][24] 에서 체성분(body composition)의 변화를 결과 지표로 사용하였다. 5편 [16][17][18]20,24) 의 연구에서는 결과 지표로 무릎 근력(knee strength)을 사용하였다.…”