Ageing is often associated with visible changes such as wrinkles, greying hair, or slower metabolism. However, doctors say a far more serious process often occurs quietly inside the body, progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, a condition known as sarcopenia.

New Indian clinical guidelines have brought attention to this hidden health threat, urging doctors to identify and manage sarcopenia early to prevent disability and frailty among older adults.

Health experts warn that as India's population ages, muscle loss could emerge as a major public-health challenge affecting mobility, independence and overall quality of life.

Sarcopenia is a progressive skeletal muscle disorder linked with ageing, characterised by reduced muscle strength, decreased physical performance, and increased vulnerability to falls, fractures and chronic disease.

According to medical research, the condition can begin gradually from mid-life and becomes more pronounced after the age of 60.

With millions of Indians entering older age in the coming decades, clinicians say the need for India-specific diagnostic criteria and management strategies has become urgent.

The new guidelines aim to standardise screening methods, define diagnostic thresholds for the Indian population and promote lifestyle interventions that can slow or even reverse muscle loss.

Source:Ndtv