Author(s)

A. Ratkevicius, A. Joyson, I. Selmer, T. Dhanani, C. Grierson, A. M. Tommasi, A. DeVries, P. Rauchhaus, D. Crowther, S. Alesci, P. Yaworsky, F. Gilbert, T. W. Redpath, J. Brady, K. C. Fearon, D. M. Reid, C. A. Greig, H. Wackerhage

ISBN

1758-535X (Electronic) 1079-5006 (Linking)

Publication year

2011

Periodical

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci

Periodical Number

6

Volume

66

Pages

620-6

Author Address

School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.

Full version

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle size and function during ageing. The aim of this study was to test whether serum concentrations of myostatin and interacting proteins (GASP-1, FLRG, and follistatin) differed between young and elderly sarcopenic men. Isometric knee extensor maximal voluntary contraction and quadriceps cross-sectional area (magnetic resonance imaging measurement) were significantly higher in young (22 +/- 2 years; 266 +/- 54 N/m; 8,686 +/- 1,154 mm(2)) than in mildly sarcopenic (69 +/- 3 years; 183 +/- 17 N/m; 6,621+/-718 mm(2)) and severely sarcopenic men (76 +/- 6 years; 127 +/- 23 N/m; 5,846 +/- 591 mm(2)), respectively (p