Hormonal

In very old community-living women, higher cellular production of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a significant predictor of sarcopenia (loss of fat-free mass), indicating a catabolic inflammatory process.

For older women, muscle loss may be driven by internal inflammatory processes (specifically cellular IL-6 production) rather than just diet or activity levels. This suggests that managing chronic low-grade inflammation and metabolic health is critical for preserving muscle mass. Regular health check-ups focusing on inflammatory markers might be more insightful than standard muscle mass tests alone.