One in three older Aussies have this muscle-wasting condition – and most of us don’t even know it

Medical experts say that sarcopenia – the loss of skeletal muscle as we age – could be more common than osteoporosis in Australia, affecting up to 30 to 40 per cent of those aged over 65.

But officially sarcopenia doesn’t exist here – it’s only being added to Australia’s formal list of diseases next year – and most GPs and specialists aren’t aware of it.

It doesn’t help that many of us consider muscle loss to be  a normal part of ageing.

The truth is once you hit the age of 30, we start losing about four to five per cent of our muscle mass a year.

However sarcopenia causes you to lose more and can be brought on by a lack of exercise and poor nutrition as well as ageing.

Symptoms can include falling over and slow walking – and it’s been linked to a higher risk of fractures, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney failure, heart failure and vitamin D deficiency, and also a loss of testosterone in men.

Use it or lose it

But there are steps that you can take to reverse its effects – even in aged care – with current treatments including resistance exercise programs, increased protein intake and Vitamin D supplements.

So how do you know if you may be at risk?

Us researchers have come up with a list of five questions to assess if you have serious muscle loss:

• How much difficulty do you have in lifting and carrying five kilograms?
• How much difficulty you have walking across a room?
• How much difficulty do you have transferring from a chair or bed?
• How much difficulty do you have climbing a flight of 10 stairs?
• How many times have you fallen in the past year?

The more challenging these tasks and the more often you’ve fallen, the more likely that you may have the condition – and should see your GP.

If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be at risk, why not make an appointment?