Muscle Mass, Quality, and the Menopause: Sex-specific Strategies to Mitigate Sarcopenia in Ageing Populations

Aging causes muscles to often become smaller and weaker resulting in physical frailty and functional impairments, such as difficulty raising from a chair, dressing, and preparing meals. In the UK there is a growing aged population with those \>65y expected to increase from 18% of the population in 2016, to 26% by 2066. As such, age related muscle mass loss and functional impairments represents one of the largest problems facing the health care services. There is an urgent need to develop strategies to reduce healthcare costs and improve health and wellbeing with age. These strategies must be targeted, as evidence suggests that the loss in muscle size and strength is different between men and women throughout the aging process. For example, older women have greater levels of physical disability that includes difficulties in walking around the home, getting out of a bed or chair, and eating, compared with men. These sex differences with ageing are unclear, yet the greater levels of physical disability could be the result of the menopause. The menopause describes a change in the sex hormone environment that is a part of normal female ageing. Physical disability can be further enhanced by an increase in body fat during the menopause in the face of decreasing muscle mass. Currently, there is a lack of understanding as to how these changes in body composition occur, with no effective treatments against muscle mass loss. The aims of this project are to increase understanding on how the menopause impacts muscle mass regulation. In addition, the investigators will use novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to map the distribution of newly created fat, and qualitative interviews to better understand how resistance exercise therapy (RET) can be incorporated into the daily lives of postmenopausal women.