Muscle loss - Renewal Hormone Center

What is muscle loss?

Muscle loss, known as muscle atrophy, occurs when muscle cells shrink or degrade. This leads to reduced muscle mass and strength over time. Some key points about muscle loss include:

Muscle loss causes: - Lack of exercise or immobilization - When muscles aren't used regularly, they begin to break down and shrink. Being sedentary for a long time can lead to noticeable muscle loss.

• Poor nutrition - Not eating enough protein or calories can starve muscles of key nutrients needed to maintain mass. This is common with crash diets.
• Aging - As we get older, muscles naturally lose mass and strength through a process called sarcopenia. Muscle fibers shrink and die off faster than they regenerate.
• Disease - Certain illnesses like cancer, AIDS, heart disease, and neurological conditions can accelerate muscle loss.

Effects of muscle loss: - Decreased strength - With less muscular size and fiber density, strength for tasks like lifting or high-intensity exercise drops noticeably.

• Higher injury risk - Weakened muscles provide less support for joints, raising injury risks. Loss of core muscle strength destabilizes the spine.
• Reduced mobility - Simple daily movements like walking up stairs, carrying objects, or getting up from a chair become more challenging.
• Increased fatigue - More effort is required to complete physical tasks, resulting in faster tiring.

Reversing muscle loss: The key is strength training using resistance from weights, machines, resistance bands, or your own body weight. This causes muscles to rebuild larger and stronger through a process called muscle protein synthesis. Getting enough protein and calories gives your body fuel to add muscular mass.

If you are concerned about age-related muscle loss or want to speed up recovery from immobilization, the doctors at Renewal Hormone Center can help. We offer customized muscle retention programs involving diet, exercise plans, and supplemental hormone treatments to stimulate muscle growth. Contact us today for a free consultation.

I hope this overview gives you a good understanding of what causes muscle loss, its impacts, and how to reverse it through targeted nutrition and training. Let me know if you have any other questions!