Sarcopenia News and Research

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The obesity-microbiome story is more complicated than ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria

This review finds that obesity is linked to reciprocal interactions between diet, the gut microbiome, microbial metabolites, and host metabolic pathways that influence appetite, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and energy balance across the lifespan. It highlights diet as a particularly tractable way to influence this system, while emphasizing that microbiome changes associated with GLP-1 therapies remain difficult to separate from weight loss and that functional multi-omics approaches may help enable more personalized interventions.

3 Sep 2026

From caffeine to trigonelline, coffee has surprising links to muscle biology

A scoping review of 54 studies found that coffee and several coffee-derived bioactive compounds influence pathways linked to skeletal muscle metabolism, including insulin signaling, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, inflammation, glucose uptake, and protein turnover. Human studies reported associations with greater muscle mass and lower frailty or functional impairment, but most evidence remains observational or preclinical and cannot establish causality.

25 Aug 2026

How well you balance and move may say more about longevity than you think

Objective fitness testing in 13,423 older adults in Taiwan found that higher physical fitness was consistently associated with lower all-cause mortality over a median seven years. Balance and agility, lower-body strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness showed the strongest associations, while a composite fitness score produced the steepest mortality gradient.

11 Aug 2026

Researchers suggest a potential therapeutic strategy for muscle loss associated with obesity

Obesity has been linked to skeletal muscle loss and deterioration. While M2 macrophages may play a role in regulating muscle function, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.

4 Aug 2026

Restricting select amino acids may mimic protein restriction’s healthy aging benefits

A review finds that restricting protein, particularly methionine, isoleucine, and valine, may improve metabolism and influence key aging pathways, largely in experimental models. Short human studies suggest metabolic benefits, but effects on lifespan remain unknown and restriction may harm people with unmet or increased protein needs.

3 Aug 2026

Review outlines effective approaches to reduce recurrent hepatic encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neurologic complication of advanced liver disease, causing impaired functioning, reduced quality of life (QOL), and increased hospitalisation and mortality.

31 Jul 2026

Muscle health plays crucial role in diabetes risk, study finds

A major new international study led by Curtin University, has found diabetes risk is about more than just body weight or obesity, revealing muscle health also likely plays a big role in whether people will develop the condition.

13 Jul 2026

New consensus outlines best practices for obesity medications

Obesity and dietitian societies have joined forces to issue a new consensus statement on recommendations surrounding use of obesity drugs for weight loss treatment.

8 Jul 2026

New spatially resolved transcriptomic map reveals how bone and muscle cells communicate

A new study generated one of the most comprehensive spatially resolved transcriptomic maps of cellular communication between bone and skeletal muscle in a young mouse.

6 Jul 2026

Age-related muscle loss linked to increased tumor growth

Duke-NUS scientists have discovered that aging muscle may contribute to cancer growth by releasing fewer extracellular vesicles, tiny particles that cells use to communicate with one another.

16 Jun 2026

Expert review examines widely-held beliefs about dietary protein needs and benefits

A newly published peer-reviewed paper in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition synthesizes findings from a February 2025 scientific workshop.

8 Jun 2026

Existing drug mitigates muscle loss from GLP-1 medications

Millions of Americans are currently taking GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss.

2 Jun 2026

Low protein intake linked to declining physical function with age

Researchers have found that consuming lower amounts of protein-rich foods may negatively affect physical functioning as people grow older, underscoring the vital function protein plays in preserving mobility and muscle strength in adulthood.

28 May 2026

Olive waste extract may help lower fat and improve muscle markers

A polyphenol-rich olive oil byproduct may enhance muscle health, reducing fat mass and improving antioxidant markers in adults with metabolic risk factors.

18 May 2026

Simple physical function tests may identify adults at mobility risk

Research reveals a predictive model for early mobility limitations, emphasizing the impact of the Mediterranean diet and muscle power on aging health.

15 May 2026

Research links muscle loss, weaker grip and slower walking pace to higher risk of stroke

Muscle loss, a weaker grip and a slower walking pace were associated with a higher risk of stroke in adults, according to new research published today in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

7 May 2026

Six genes found to connect pancreatic cancer with metabolic dysfunction

New research shows that the same genes are active in pancreatic cancer, obesity and diabetes, helping to explain why people with metabolic disease often face poorer cancer outcomes and pointing to future ways to predict recurrence and develop more targeted treatments.

6 May 2026

Exercise remains essential alongside GLP-1 obesity treatments

As GLP-1 receptor agonists reshape obesity treatment, a new medical perspective published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, underscores a persistent gap in care: integrating exercise into weight management in ways patients can sustain.

5 May 2026

GLP-1 weight loss is driven mainly by fat loss, not muscle loss

GLP-1-based therapies helped adults with overweight or obesity lose weight mainly by reducing fat mass and visceral adipose tissue, while lean body mass losses were generally modest. The findings suggest these treatments can support higher-quality weight loss when paired with individualized care, nutrition, and resistance training.

27 Apr 2026

Yoga to help manage obesity-related heart and metabolic risks

The impact of yoga on heart health in obesity is modest, suggesting it as a complementary approach for improving metabolic outcomes in high BMI populations.

27 Apr 2026