Effect of interventions with exercise and/or supplementation on muscle mass of elderly people with sarcopenia: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Sarcopenia is characterized by the loss of muscle mass and strength. The objective of this paper was to determine the size of the overall effect of a treatment based on exercise and/or supplementation on muscle mass in elderly adults diagnosed with Sarcopenia, as well as identify the variables that can moderate the effect of the treatment. Regarding the method used, the EBSCOhost, Ovid, ProQuest, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Embase databases were consulted.  Out of the 4770 studies recovered, 14 met the following criteria: analysis of muscle mass; use of experimental designs; use of descriptive statistics; administration of a program based on exercise, supplementation, or both; and subjects being over 60 diagnosed with sarcopenia. The studies were also required to be published completely in English or Spanish. The size of the global effect was calculated following the random effects model. A total of 818 and 284 subjects were analyzed in the experimental group and in the control group, respectively. An overall effect size of 0.16 (p = 0.005) was obtained from 38 effect sizes.  The Funnel Plot graph and the Egger test did not reveal any evidence of presence of general bias or publication. A total of 23 studies are needed for the global effect size not to be significant. In conclusion, a significant change in the muscle mass of elderly adults diagnosed with sarcopenia was evident when having a resistance exercise intervention, with or without supplementation. A guide of recommendations on supplementation and exercise prescription was also established in the paper.