Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by loss of muscle strength and mass that is strongly associated with age and age-related conditions, and is therefore considered a typically geriatric disease. Decline of muscle strength, however, begins in the fifth decade of life [1] and the concomitant presence of conditions accelerating this process (e.g., hypercatabolic state) may lead to sarcopenia also in younger persons. Sarcopenia has been recognized as a proper muscular disease and included in the WHO's International Classification of Diseases; it is associated with negative health outcomes [2] and therefore interventions to reverse this condition are warranted.
