Research
Hormonal
In aging skeletal muscle, the progressive loss of mass (sarcopenia) is largely driven by anabolic resistance—a desensitized muscle protein synthesis response to stimuli like loading and protein ingestion—rather than increased protein breakdown.
Older adults should prioritize resistance training and adequate protein intake to overcome anabolic resistance. While muscle loss is slower with age, maintaining activity levels can prevent many age-related muscle deficits.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The progression of sarcopenia is proposed to largely be a product of a desensitised MPS response to anabolic stimuli, or anabolic resistance, such as loading and/or protein ingestion, in ageing
Why this rating
Based on review of human studies showing consistent MPS desensitization with age.
Source
Turning over new ideas in human skeletal muscle proteostasis: What do we know and where to from here?
Changhyun Lim et al. · Experimental Physiology · 2025
DOI 10.1113/ep092353
narrative_reviewCited 8×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- In healthy young humans, changes in skeletal muscle mass in response to resistance exercise, disuse, and aging are primarily driven by alterations in muscle protein synthesis (MPS), while muscle protein breakdown (MPB) remains largely unchanged or plays a negligible role.Good
- Deuterated water (D2O) ingestion is a valid and increasingly used method for measuring long-term muscle protein synthesis in humans, providing insights that complement acute tracer infusion methods.Good
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →