Hormonal
Age-related sarcopenia and osteoporosis are driven by a decline in the GH/IGF1 axis, specifically through reduced circulating levels and impaired post-receptor signaling efficiency (e.g., IRS/PI3-K/AKT pathway) in muscle and bone cells.
As you age, your body's natural production of Growth Hormone and IGF-1 drops, and your cells become less responsive to them. This biological shift contributes significantly to muscle wasting and bone loss, independent of how much you exercise. Understanding this hormonal decline highlights the importance of maintaining muscle mass through resistance training and potentially exploring medical interventions for those with diagnosed deficiencies, rather than accepting tissue loss as an unavoidable fate.
Recent experimental evidence suggests the age-dependent decline in GH and IGF1 serum levels, dysregulation of GH and IGF1 actions due to impairment of the post-receptor signaling machinery may contribute to the loss of muscle mass and osteopenia.
Why this rating
This is a review paper summarizing multiple studies; it cites strong mechanistic evidence but lacks a single primary clinical trial establishing causality in humans for the specific signaling defects.
Source
The GH/IGF1 axis and signaling pathways in the muscle and bone: mechanisms underlying age-related skeletal muscle wasting and osteoporosis
Sebastio Perrini et al. · Journal of Endocrinology · 2010
DOI 10.1677/joe-09-0431
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