Muscle loss - Rejuvenate Wellness

Muscle Loss: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment

Muscle loss, also known as muscle atrophy, occurs when muscle cells shrink or degrade. This leads to reduced muscle strength, mass, and performance. There are several potential causes of muscle loss:

• Aging - As we get older, muscle fibers shrink and die off. This natural decline in muscle mass is called sarcopenia. After age 30, adults lose 3-5% of their muscle mass per decade. The rate of loss increases after age 60.
• Inactivity - If muscles are not used regularly, they will weaken and shrink over time. Bedrest, cast immobilization, and sedentary lifestyles can lead to noticeable muscle loss in just a few weeks.
• Poor nutrition - Eating too few calories, not enough protein, and micronutrient deficiencies can contribute to muscle breakdown.
• Injury or disease - Anything that causes inflammation or dysfunction in muscle can lead to atrophy. Common examples include joint injuries, muscular dystrophy, cancer, AIDS, sepsis, and other chronic or debilitating conditions.
• Medications - Certain drugs like corticosteroids, chemotherapy, anticonvulsants, and others can have muscle wasting side effects. Always consult your doctor.
• Surgery - Being under general anesthesia, even for just a day or two, can result in noticeable loss of muscle mass and strength.
• Weight loss diets - Very low calorie diets, fasting, and rapid weight loss lead to breakdown of muscle proteins along with fat. Aim to lose only 1-2 pounds per week.

To prevent and treat muscle loss:

Prevention	Treatment
Do strength training and cardio exercise regularly. Weight bearing activities help build and maintain muscle.	See a physical therapist for help recovering strength after immobilization from illness/injury.
Eat adequate protein - about 0.5g per pound of body weight per day. Good sources include meat, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils.	Take targeted supplements like creatine, calcium, vitamin D, omega-3s.
Get enough calories daily to avoid catabolism. Don't cut calories too aggressively when trying to lose weight.	Check with your doctor about medications that could be contributing. There may be alternatives.

At Rejuvenate Wellness, we help patients optimize their hormones for improved body composition and wellness. Muscle loss can sometimes be caused by declining testosterone, growth hormone or other hormonal imbalances. Our experienced physicians provide comprehensive testing, bioidentical hormone therapy, nutritional counseling and lifestyle advice tailored to your needs.

Service	Description
Comprehensive Testing	Our clinic offers comprehensive hormone testing to identify any imbalances that may be contributing to muscle loss.
Bioidentical Hormone Therapy	We provide personalized bioidentical hormone therapy to help optimize hormone levels and support healthy muscle mass.
Nutritional Counseling	Our nutritional counseling services can help you develop a balanced diet plan that provides adequate protein and calories to prevent muscle breakdown.
Lifestyle Advice	We offer lifestyle advice to help you incorporate regular exercise and other healthy habits into your routine to maintain muscle strength and function.

In conclusion, muscle loss is a common problem that can have various causes, including aging, inactivity, poor nutrition, injury, disease, medications, surgery, and extreme weight loss diets. However, there are several effective strategies for preventing and treating muscle loss, such as regular exercise, adequate protein intake, sufficient calorie consumption, targeted supplementation, medication adjustments, and seeking professional help when needed. At Rejuvenate Wellness, we offer a range of services to help patients maintain healthy muscle mass and overall wellness through hormone optimization, nutritional counseling, and lifestyle advice.