Preventing Bed-rest Induced Muscle Loss in the Elderly

Episodes of inactivity due to hospitalisation, as short as 5 days, are associated with rapid muscle and strength loss in the elderly. The observed muscle loss with inactivity is likely due to muscle anabolic resistance and increased breakdown rates of muscle tissue. This is of great concern as the average hospital stay in the elderly is 5-6 days. Moreover, minor illnesses not requiring hospitalisation generally require short-term periods of inactive home-based recovery. The accumulation of repeated disuse events in older individuals manifests in a chronic muscle anabolic resistance (i.e. the inability of muscle to respond to anabolic stimuli such as exercise and nutrition) that may underpin the slow but devastating process of age-related muscle loss. It is our belief that strategies to promote muscle health in ageing and reduce healthcare expenditure, should focus on alleviating muscle deterioration and anabolic resistance during short-term disuse. In this regard, we propose that resistance exercise (i.e. weight lifting) performed prior to a disuse event (termed 'prehabilitation') may be sufficient to offset muscle loss in older individuals. Thus, we suggest the potent effect of resistance exercise in older muscles may prevent muscle loss during short-term disuse.