ABSTRACT
Sarcopenia is the age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass. Sarcopenia leads to decreased muscle strength, which in turn can lead to functional disability. Using the classification of moderate sarcopenia, which is a muscle mass that is between 1 and 2 standard deviations lower than the mean for young men (age 18-39 years) Janssen et al1 reported that 45% of older men (> 60 years) fell into this category. Seven per cent of older men were classified as severely sarcopenic, which is 2 or more standard deviations below the mean for young men. Older men who were classified as moderately sarcopenic had problems stooping, crouching, or kneeling and had a decreased ability to perform the tandem stand test. Those men classified as severely sarcopenic, in addition to having the problems of those individuals who were moderately sarcopenic, also had a reduced ability to stand up from a chair.
