Age-Related Muscle Loss: How to Stay Strong as You Age

As we age, maintaining strength and mobility becomes essential for living a vibrant, independent life. The challenge nearly everyone faces is sarcopenia: the progressive, age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. It slowly chips away at energy, metabolism, balance, and overall well-being long before most people notice.

The good news: the biology of muscle aging is increasingly well understood, and there are concrete, science-backed steps you can take at any age to support muscle health and longevity, and stay active for years to come.

What Are The Consequences of Age-Related Muscle Loss?

Studies suggest that muscle mass declines by 3-8% each decade after age 30. ^[1]Muscle strength typically declines 20-40% by age 70. The loss in strength is even steeper than the loss in mass, meaning aging muscle gets weaker faster than it gets smaller.^[2]

The downstream consequences are significant. Age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia, is independently associated with:

• A higher risk of falls and fractures, with sarcopenic older adults showing roughly 60-90% higher odds of falling and fracturing than non-sarcopenic peers.^[3]
• Loss of independence in daily activities like climbing stairs, getting out of chairs, or carrying groceries.^[4]
• Depression, fear of falling, and malnutrition, all of which reduce quality of life.^[5]
• A higher risk of chronic disease and all-cause mortality.^[6]

What Causes Muscle Loss With Age?

What factors contribute to the development of sarcopenia? Well, in addition to advancing age, there are several:

Reduced physical activity contributes to muscle loss

The phrase "use it or lose it" is biologically literal for muscle. Without regular weight training exercises, the body shifts toward net protein breakdown, and being sedentary blunts the muscle's ability to respond to protein in our diet.^[7]

Yet most adults aren't moving enough. According to the latest CDC data, only 22.5% of U.S. adults met federal guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity in 2022.^[8]

Joint pain, chronic conditions, time constraints, and fatigue all increase the likelihood of sedentary behavior with age. The result is a compounding cycle: less activity → faster muscle loss → more weakness → even less activity.

Inadequate protein intake contributes to sarcopenia

Protein supplies the amino acid building blocks for muscle, and older adults need more of it than younger adults, not less. The RDA is 0.8 g/kg/day; however, the consensus across major scientific groups (including the PROT-AGE Study Group and the ESPEN Expert Group) is at least 1.0-1.2 g/kg/day for healthy older adults, and 1.2-1.5 g/kg/day for those with chronic illness or who are physically active.^[9]

This higher requirement exists because older muscles need a bigger nutritional stimulus to trigger the same muscle protein synthesis response as younger muscles. This anabolic resistance is worsened by inactivity, excess body fat, and inflammation.^[10]

Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to sarcopenia

Mitochondria are the energy generators inside each muscle cell, and their health declines with age. In pre-frail older adults, mitochondrial dysfunction is now considered a central driver of sarcopenia.^[11]

The decline isn't only about wear and tear. Interrelated quality-control processes break down with age:

• Mitophagy: the cell's selective recycling of damaged mitochondria becomes less efficient, allowing dysfunctional mitochondria to accumulate.^[12]
• Mitochondrial biogenesis: the production of new mitochondria, slows, reducing the cell's ability to replenish its energy supply.^[13]

The good news is that mitochondrial quality control can be targeted directly through both exercise and emerging nutritional strategies (more on this below).

Hormonal changes contribute to sarcopenia

Hormones that build and support muscle like testosterone, estrogen, growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), all decline with age. So does vitamin D, which functions as a hormone, along with thyroid hormones in some individuals.^[14]

Testosterone levels in men fall roughly 1% per year starting around age 30, and the loss correlates with declines in muscle mass and strength.^[15] Read more about andropause and testosterone decline here. In women, the drop in estrogen at menopause accelerates muscle loss and impairs muscle recovery, in part because estrogen directly supports skeletal muscle mitochondrial function.^[16]

At the same time, hormones that break down muscle increase. Cortisol, the body's main stress hormone, tends to rise with age and chronic stress, accelerating muscle breakdown.^[17]

Increased insulin resistance also contributes to sarcopenia. This occurs when the body’s cells become less responsive to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Skeletal muscle is the main target for insulin, so it is not surprising that there is a relationship between aging muscle and the body’s sensitivity to this key metabolic hormone.^[18]

Increased insulin resistance contributes to sarcopenia, while sarcopenia itself can further worsen insulin resistance. Because skeletal muscle is the body’s primary insulin-sensitive tissue, age-related declines in muscle mass and quality are closely linked to impaired glucose metabolism.

How to Prevent Age-Related Muscle Loss?

The encouraging side of the story: muscle is one of the most adaptable tissues in the body. Even in frail older adults, resistance training can restore protein synthesis rates to levels seen in younger people.^[19]

Here are science-backed strategies to help prevent muscle loss and support muscle health and longevity.

Nutrition

Eating a balanced diet rich in protein, omega-3 anti-inflammatory fats, and vitamin D can build and strengthen muscles.

Protein is arguably the most important nutrient for muscle health. Aim for at least 1.0-1.2 g/kg/day for healthy older adults, and 1.2-1.5 g/kg/day of protein a day for those with chronic illness or who are physically active. Good sources include lean meats like chicken and turkey, fish, eggs, dairy products like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, and plant-based options like legumes, tofu, and edamame.

Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids, anti-inflammatory fats found in fatty fish like salmon, as well as in walnuts and chia seeds, may help support muscle health. In particular, studies indicate that supplementing with 2 grams of omega-3s per day may help enhance muscle growth, strength, and performance in older adults.^[20]

While vitamin D is often thought of as a nutrient that supports bone health, research suggests it also plays a critical role in muscle health. Data show that people deficient in vitamin D are at higher risk of developing sarcopenia and that people who supplement with vitamin D have a lower risk of falls and better muscle strength.^[21]

Prioritize eating these muscle-building foods with meals to ensure you get enough in at the end of the day.

Exercise

Exercise is a necessary complement to a nutritious diet. Combining aerobic and strength training exercises protects muscles, bones, and joints and contributes to healthier muscles as you age.^[22]

Strength training, in particular, plays a crucial role in preserving muscle mass, improving strength, and enhancing metabolic health. It stimulates muscle protein synthesis, helping to counteract age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) while also improving insulin sensitivity and reducing inflammation.^[23] While evidence supports strength training once per week, the Physical Activity Guidelines recommend strength training twice per week.^[24]

These exercises help support energy production in the mitochondria. Performing these exercises regularly while eating enough protein can promote muscle performance and overall longevity.

While strength training is particularly beneficial in reducing muscle loss with age, the best exercise is one you enjoy so you’ll keep coming back for more.

Can Dietary Supplements Help with Muscle Health?

Supplements aren't a replacement for diet and training, but a few have strong evidence for supporting muscle health in aging.

Can I Supplement Mitopure® to Strengthen Muscle?

Mitopure is the only Urolithin A supplement supported by multiple placebo-controlled human clinical trials and validated through third-party testing. The published clinical data on Mitopure show:

• Mitopure activates mitophagy and induces a molecular signature of improved mitochondrial and cellular health in humans.^[25]
• Mitopure increased muscle endurance by 17% within 2 months at 1,000 mg/day without any changes in exercise routine or diet.^[26]***
• Mitopure increased muscle strength by ~12% over 4 months at 500 mg/day in middle-aged adults, with no changes in exercise routine or diet.^[27]*

By revitalizing mitochondria, Mitopure helps preserve muscle health.

***Our clinical studies showed that sedentary adults aged 65-90 improved muscle endurance, measured as leg and hand repetitions to fatigue, after daily supplementation with 1,000 mg Mitopure®.

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Other supplements that may help address age-related muscle decline include omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and creatine.

In Summary: Your Action Plan for Muscle Health and Longevity

No matter your age, it’s never too early or too late to make muscle health a priority. Speak to your doctor, local gym, or exercise physiologist and ask to have your body composition, which includes your muscle mass, measured and analyzed. Knowledge is power and is the first step to understanding the best ways to improve your health and longevity.

If you’re unsure where to start, pick one muscle-promoting lifestyle change that feels easiest to ease into, such as diet, exercise, or trying muscle health-supporting supplements like Mitopure. Just one small step compounds into big results over time.