Page 27 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2021. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo / Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 27
ited lecture plenarna predavanja | plenary lectures
Active ageing: targeting the skeletal muscle for a healthy ageing
Sandra Zampieri
Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua,
Padua, Italy
Aging is a multifactorial process that is influenced by immunological, hormonal,
and nutritional factors. With age, the reduction of muscle mass, strength and
resistance are typically observed. Scientific evidences emphasize a role of the
nervous system in age-related structural and functional alterations of the skel-
etal muscle, owing to the degeneration of muscle innervation, motor unit re-
modeling, and excitation-contraction uncoupling, the latter being one of the
major causes of the decreased muscle force. Muscle disuse due to sedentary
lifestyle of elderlies accounts for frailty and fragility and it is clearly associated
with an impaired structure and function of the musculoskeletal system. Sever-
al studies revealed that in the older people, the muscle weakness of the low-
er extremities or the reduction in balance and mobility capabilities, are major
factors contributing to falls. Falls can lead to bone fractures, that are associat-
ed with physical disabilities, reduced quality of life, increased mortality, and rise
in health care costs. In the last decades, the extended human longevity result-
ed in increasing numbers of senior individuals in the general population, and in-
terventions focused to the maintenance of muscle mass and strength are cru-
cial for an active ageing linked to a healthy ageing. Physical exercise represents
a good option invoking a mixture of metabolic, hormonal, neural and mechan-
ical stimuli that can altogether contribute to the improvement of skeletal mus-
cle morphology and performance, also enhancing the quality of life of trained
elderly subjects.
Keywords: aging, interventions, quality of life
25
Active ageing: targeting the skeletal muscle for a healthy ageing
Sandra Zampieri
Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua,
Padua, Italy
Aging is a multifactorial process that is influenced by immunological, hormonal,
and nutritional factors. With age, the reduction of muscle mass, strength and
resistance are typically observed. Scientific evidences emphasize a role of the
nervous system in age-related structural and functional alterations of the skel-
etal muscle, owing to the degeneration of muscle innervation, motor unit re-
modeling, and excitation-contraction uncoupling, the latter being one of the
major causes of the decreased muscle force. Muscle disuse due to sedentary
lifestyle of elderlies accounts for frailty and fragility and it is clearly associated
with an impaired structure and function of the musculoskeletal system. Sever-
al studies revealed that in the older people, the muscle weakness of the low-
er extremities or the reduction in balance and mobility capabilities, are major
factors contributing to falls. Falls can lead to bone fractures, that are associat-
ed with physical disabilities, reduced quality of life, increased mortality, and rise
in health care costs. In the last decades, the extended human longevity result-
ed in increasing numbers of senior individuals in the general population, and in-
terventions focused to the maintenance of muscle mass and strength are cru-
cial for an active ageing linked to a healthy ageing. Physical exercise represents
a good option invoking a mixture of metabolic, hormonal, neural and mechan-
ical stimuli that can altogether contribute to the improvement of skeletal mus-
cle morphology and performance, also enhancing the quality of life of trained
elderly subjects.
Keywords: aging, interventions, quality of life
25
