Sarcopenia is a degenerative disease often associated with age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. The risk of sarcopenia increases at a rate of 3-8% per decade after age 30 and continues to accelerate after the fifth decade of life (1, 616; 2, 1). Factors that contribute to muscle degeneration include: sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, reduced protein turnover rate, reduced insulin response, inflammatory changes, and reduced anabolic hormone production (3, 1073). Dietary protein is essential for building muscle and avoiding loss of lean body mass (4, 686). Evidence indicates that increasing protein intake above the RDA of 0.8 g/kg per day in older adults will increase the anabolic response of muscles (3, 1073). A high dietary protein intake is inversely associated with loss of lean body mass. Surveys indicate that 22-38% of men and 32-41% of women aged 50 years and older consume less than the dietary recommendation of 0.8 g/kg/day of protein (5, 1556) . Women in a population group of 1,077 people aged 75 to 3 years had better skeletal health and bone mass density when they consumed more than 87 grams of protein per day compared to the placebo group (3, 1,075) . An adequate protein intake of 1.1 g/kg body weight has been positively associated with the preservation of lean mass in older adults aged 70 to 79 years (5, 1556). Subjects lost 40% less total body mass and lean mass consuming 1.1 g/kg/day compared to those consuming 0.7 g/kg/day (5, 1557). Elderly women and men followed for a duration of four years, who consumed a high protein intake of 84-152 grams per day, were associated with protection against femoral and spinal bone loss compared to individuals consuming protein levels in the quartile lowest between 17 and 17 years old. -51 grams per day (1,619). Taken above... in the center of the sheet... P., Degens, H., El Hajj Fuleihan, G., et al. (2013). Impact of nutrition on muscle mass, strength and performance in older adults. Osteoporosis International, 24(5), 1555-1566. doi: 10.1007/s00198-012-2236-y.6. Shahar, S., Kamaruddin, N.S., Badrasawi, M., Sakian, N.I., Abd Manaf, Z., et al. (2013). Effectiveness of exercise and protein supplementation intervention on body composition, fitness and oxidative stress among Malaysian older adults with sarcopenia. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 8, 1365-1375. doi:10.2147/CIA.S46826.7. Alemán-Mateo, H., Macías, L., Esparza-Romero, J., Astiazaran-García, H., Blancas, A.L. (2012). Physiological effects beyond significant increase in muscle mass in sarcopenic older men: evidence from a randomized clinical trial using a protein-rich food. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 7, 225-234. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S32356.