Singapore researchers discover causes of muscle wasting in elderly

Researchers have identified the mechanisms involved in sarcopenia – a debilitating age-related loss of muscle mass and strength – through a study by SICS and NUS researchers in collaboration with Nestlé Research and the EpiGen Global Research Consortium. Dr Neerja Karnani, one of the lead authors on this study and a Senior Principal Investigator at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR, said: “Decline in muscle mass and muscle strength accelerates with aging, affecting the physical potential and healthspan of the elderly. That has been recognised worldwide as a major health concern, enticing researchers to develop deeper insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms. Findings from the study are a substantial leap in this direction, as they not only unfold the mechanisms compromised within the muscle of susceptible individuals, but are also relevant to ethnically and geographically diverse populations.” Find out more on the news release in BioSpectrum Asia on 10 January 2020.

The paper Mitochondrial oxidative capacity and NAD biosynthesis are reduced in human sarcopenia across ethnicities is published in the journal Nature Communications.

To read about Nestlé Research’s involvement in the study, please visit: https://www.nestle.com/randd/news/allnews/healthy-aging-muscle-health

For more information on EpiGen Global Research Consortium, please visit: https://www.epigengrc.com/first-step-taken-find-causes-muscle-wasting-disease