MUSCLE MASS AND STRENGTH - RELATION TO FUNCTION IN POPULATION STUDIES

The use of the term sarcopenia to describe the age-related loss in ske letal muscle and its functional consequences is relatively recent. How ever, interest in the relationship of muscle mass to strength and func tion predates the concept of sarcopenia as researchers have attempted to understand differences in mass and strength between men and women, young and old. Most of these studies are cross-sectional comparisons i n which muscle mass and strength tend to be linearly related, so that those with more muscle tend to be stronger. This article focuses inste ad on some potential problems with the sarcopenia-function association in old age and presents what little data exist from longitudinal popu lation studies addressing the effect of sarcopenia over time.