From Growth Trajectory to Functional Decline: Age-Contextualized Nutritional Strategies for Muscle Vulnerability. A...

Area of Science:

• Nutritional biochemistry
• Skeletal muscle physiology
• Lifespan development

Background:

• Muscle vulnerability impacts both pediatric development and aging, with distinct biological drivers.
• Insufficient muscle mass in youth stems from disrupted anabolic processes, while older adults face sarcopenia due to anabolic resistance and inflammation.
• Current diagnostic approaches lack harmonization, hindering cross-generational understanding of muscle health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how nutritional bioactives influence skeletal muscle homeostasis across the lifespan, from development to aging.
• To differentiate nutritional needs for muscle growth in children versus muscle maintenance in older adults.
• To evaluate the translation of molecular pathway improvements to functional outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of scientific literature.
• Analysis of nutritional factors including energy, protein, amino acids, vitamin D, lipids, phytochemicals, and micronutrients.
• Examination of molecular pathways regulating skeletal muscle anabolism and catabolism.

Main Results:

• Nutritional interventions for children aim to support anabolic permissiveness for growth.
• Strategies for older adults focus on overcoming anabolic resistance and preserving function through protein, micronutrients, and exercise.
• Molecular pathway improvements do not always correlate with functional gains.

Conclusions:

• A lifespan perspective is essential for tailoring nutritional interventions for muscle health.
• Distinguishing between growth-supportive and function-preserving nutrition is critical.
• Clinical validation is needed to bridge molecular findings with functional improvements in muscle health.