Update on therapies for sarcopenia: novel approaches for age-related muscle wasting and weakness

Sarcopenia is the term widely used to describe the slow, but progressive, loss of muscle mass with advancing age. Even before significant muscle wasting becomes apparent, ageing is associated with a slowing of movement and a gradual decline in muscle strength, factors that increase the risk of injury from sudden falls, and a reliance on the frail elderly for assistance in accomplishing even basic tasks of independent living. Sarcopenia affects everyone regardless of their ethnicity, gender or wealth, and it is recognised as one of the major public health problems now facing industrialised nations. Although many argue that the effects of ageing on skeletal muscle are immutable and irreversible, such a view does not take into consideration the range of different approaches currently under investigation that could, theoretically, and perhaps realistically, improve muscle function and preserve functional independence. This review provides an update on progress regarding the development of therapies for sarcopenia. It expands on the information provided in an earlier review and covers the most recent (2002 – 2004) patents on novel approaches relevant to the treatment of age-related muscle wasting and weakness. Although there have been many therapies proposed for sarcopenia, and many patents awarded for such claims, unfortunately very few have data to support their assertions, and even fewer have sufficient data to warrant potential clinical application.