To: Rejuvenation
From: Ellis
Comments by Ellis on "Intervention for sarcopenia for
muscle weakness in older persons." by SE Borst.

>PMID: 15385272 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>VA Medical Center, GRECC-182, 1601 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL
32608-1197, USA. seborst@...

>OBJECTIVE: three major strategies have been tested for combating the
losses in muscle mass and strength that accompany ageing.

>Those strategies are testosterone replacement for men,
growth hormone replacement and resistance exercise
training.

[Unfortunately, they are missing the reason why there
is loss of muscle mass... atrophy of the muscle. And
why does the muscle atrophy?

Aha! - Ellis]


>This review will cover the risks and benefits associated with each of
these interventions.

>METHODS: searches of PubMed and Web of Science through May 2004
yielded 85 relevant citations for the following descriptors:
sarcopenia, aging/ageing, elderly, testosterone, hormone replacement,
growth hormone, resistance training, exercise, muscle mass, nutrition
and strength.

[Again, they are not addressing the very reason why there
is loss of muscle mass: atrophy of the muscle. - Ellis]


RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: testosterone replacement in elderly
hypogonadal men produces only modest increases in muscle mass and
strength, which are observed in some studies and not in others.


[Testosterone replacement cannot regrow muscle that
has atrophied. Once it is lost, it is lost. Atrophy
of the muscles can be PREVENTED, but it cannot be
REPAIRED. - Ellis]


Higher doses have not been given for fear of accelerating prostate
cancer.

[A bad reason, but it wouldn't work anyways... you
cannot regenerate the muscle that has atrophied...
you can only PREVENT the muscle from atrophy. - Ellis]


Growth hormone replacement in elderly subjects produces a high
incidence of side-effects

[Question to SE Borst: At what dose do you find "a high incidence
of side effects" and what were those side effects? - Ellis]


>does not increase strength


>and does not augment strength gains resulting from resistance training.

[Of course it cannot augment strength AFTER muscle has
atrophied... It can only augment strength, and it does
augment strength, in men who have NOT YET lost muscles...
- Ellis]


>Some alternate strategies for stimulating the growth
hormone/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway continue
to hold promise. The latter include growth hormone releasing
hormone (GHRH) and the complex of IGF-I with its major
circulating binding protein (IGF-I/IGFBP-3).

[It won't work. Guaranteed. - Ellis]


Resistance training remains the most effective intervention for
increasing muscle mass and strength in older people.

[It won't work, either. Older people will lose muscles
until DOCTORS finally figure out why the muscle atrophies,
which they haven't figured out yet.

I seem to be saying the same things over again, for many
years. You must PREVENT the loss of muscle mass, and you
can only do it with a program such as mine... - Ellis]


Elderly people have reduced food intake and increased
protein requirements. As a result, adequate nutrition is
sometimes a barrier to obtaining full benefits from
resistance training in this population.

[Adequate nutrition is NEVER a barrier for obtaining
full benefits from resistance training in any population...
the problem is to define : what is "Adequate nutrition" ?
Adequate nutrition must start LONG BEFORE muscles
atrophy.

The problem is that they are trying to CURE sarcopenia,
when there cannot be a cure for it... there can only
be prevention. - Ellis]