Exercise: a prescription to delay the effects of aging.
Aging is associated with marked alterations in body composition. Of greater importance than the prevention of obesity for health and function in older age is the maintenance of body weight, specifically, preservation of lean muscle mass. Past the seventh decade of life, a decline in body weight occurs, which is at least partially explained by a loss of muscle mass, a process known as sarcopenia. Evidence suggests that muscle mass decreases 3% to 6% per decade after age 60.
Dipietro
L
L
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, The John B. Pierce Laboratory, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA. ldipietro@jbpierce.org.
Dziura
J
J