sarcopenia

Overview

Sarcopenia is a progressive skeletal muscle disorder characterized by loss of muscle mass, reduced muscle strength, and impaired physical performance. It is most commonly associated with aging, but it is also observed in chronic disease states such as cancer, type 2 diabetes mellitus, end-stage liver disease, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory disorders, and postoperative recovery settings. Clinically, sarcopenia is linked to frailty, disability, falls, poorer quality of life, increased treatment toxicity, and higher mortality risk.

Biologically, sarcopenia is understood as a multifactorial condition involving chronic inflammation, nutritional imbalance, metabolic dysfunction, endocrine and immune dysregulation, altered muscle quality, and impaired muscle regeneration. Recent studies also suggest interactions with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, oxidative stress, gut microbiota, and immunometabolic pathways. Because of its broad clinical impact and lack of universally effective pharmacotherapy, sarcopenia remains an active target for diagnostic, mechanistic, and interventional research.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent studies have demonstrated that sarcopenia carries significant prognostic implications across multiple clinical contexts. In patients with renal cell carcinoma and venous tumor thrombus, sarcopenia was independently associated with reduced cancer-specific and overall survival. Similarly, in castration-resistant prostate cancer, physical factors including sarcopenia and myosteatosis predicted poor prognosis in patients treated with androgen receptor signaling inhibitors. Beyond oncologic outcomes, sarcopenia has been linked to postoperative complications, with machine learning models developed to predict systemic inflammatory response syndrome following percutaneous nephrolithotomy, revealing a synergistic relationship between sarcopenia and staghorn stones in driving this complication.

Epidemiologically, sarcopenia shows multifactorial associations with metabolic and lifestyle factors in older populations. A cross-sectional study of Korean adults found significant associations between sarcopenia prevalence and glycemic control, blood pressure, and lifestyle behaviors. Hearing loss has also emerged as an aging-related health factor correlated with sarcopenia alongside deficits in cognitive function, activities of daily living, and nutritional status, suggesting shared pathways in age-related decline.

Recent therapeutic investigations have focused on both traditional and modern interventions. A randomized controlled trial demonstrated that combined electroacupuncture and Otago exercise Program produced measurable benefits for sarcopenia in older adults. Following metabolic bariatric surgery, a supervised online multicomponent program proved effective at improving sarcopenia-related traits and reducing sarcopenia risk in patients assessed 2–7 years postoperatively, establishing telemedicine-based interventions as a viable follow-up strategy in the late postoperative period.

Key Publications

• NEWJun Biomedical publication details. (PubMed Database, 2026, PMID 42406172)
• NEWJun Predicting SIRS after PCNL using machine learning: the joint impact of sarcopenia and staghorn stones. (World journal of urology, 2026, PMID 42347952): "to investigate the association between sarcopenia and staghorn stones as well as their potential synergistic effect on postoperative SIRS."
• May The effects of electroacupuncture and the Otago Exercise Program in older adults with sarcopenia: A randomized controlled study. (Medicine, 2026, PMID 42175481): "The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a combination of electroacupuncture (EA) and the Otago Exercise Program (OEP) for sarcopenia in older individuals and provide treatment recommendations for this patient population."
• Jun Biomedical publication details. (PubMed Database, 2026, PMID 42168690)
• Jun Glycaemic Control, Blood Pressure and Lifestyle Behaviours in Relation to Sarcopenia Among Older Adults in Korea: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study. (Australasian journal on ageing, 2026, PMID 42053025): "The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia and examine its associations with glycaemic control, blood pressure and lifestyle behaviours among older adults in Korea."
• May Myosteatosis Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients With Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Treated With Enzalutamide. (International journal of urology : official journal of the Japanese Urological Association, 2026, PMID 42053360): "This study evaluated whether physical factors, including myosteatosis and sarcopenia, are prognostic factors in patients with androgen receptor signaling inhibitor-naïve, castration-resistant prostate cancer."
• May Hearing loss and aging-related health outcomes-A natural population cohort study. (Maturitas, 2026, PMID 41819712): "To investigate the associations between hearing loss and five aging-related health outcomes-cognitive function, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, nutritional status, and sarcopenia-among Chinese adults."