Research

Hormonal

Elevated serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and the IL-6/IL-10 ratio are positively associated with the presence of sarcopenia in elderly individuals.

For older adults, high levels of systemic inflammation (specifically IL-6) are linked to muscle loss. While you cannot directly 'dose' IL-6, managing chronic inflammation through diet, exercise, and medical management of inflammatory conditions may help preserve muscle mass. The study highlights that inflammation is a key biological driver, not just a side effect.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Following adjustment for confounding factors, the presence of sarcopenia was positively correlated with IL-6, IL-10, IL-6/IL-10 ratio and inversely correlated with BMI.
Yu-Dong Rong et al. · BMC Geriatrics · 2018

Why this rating

Cross-sectional observational study with a relatively small sample size (n=164) and potential selection bias (male predominance), limiting causal inference.

Source

Study on relationship between elderly sarcopenia and inflammatory cytokine IL-6, anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10

Yu-Dong Rong et al. · BMC Geriatrics · 2018

DOI 10.1186/s12877-018-1007-9

cross_sectional · n=164Cited 231×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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