Managing & Treating Sarcopenia with Therapeutic Lifestyle Medicine & Emerging Technologies

Presentation Summary: Sarcopenia is increasingly recognized not only as an age-related condition but also as a manifestation of chronic disease burden and adverse social determinants of health (SDOH), affecting individuals across a wider age spectrum than traditionally appreciated. Emerging evidence shows that socioeconomic hardship, food insecurity, chronic psychosocial stress, and limited access to preventive care or physical activity resources contribute to earlier onset and accelerated progression of muscle loss, particularly in under-resourced communities. Despite its clinical significance, sarcopenia remains underdiagnosed due to inconsistent screening practices and reliance on advanced imaging modalities that are often inaccessible in low-resource settings.

This session will highlight equitable, practical approaches to improving sarcopenia detection and management through lifestyle medicine. We will review accessible and validated screening tools—including grip strength, gait speed, digital strength tracking, wearable technologies for fall risk, and point-of-care ultrasound for muscle assessment—as scalable alternatives that support earlier identification and intervention. Evidence also links food insecurity and limited access to nutrient-dense foods with reduced muscle mass and poorer functional outcomes, reinforcing the need for nutrition strategies that address SDOH alongside clinical care. Likewise, disparities in safe physical activity environments and chronic stress exposure further exacerbate functional decline.

Participants will explore how lifestyle medicine interventions—whole-food, plant-forward nutrition, individualized physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, and social connection—can be operationalized to prevent and treat sarcopenia across diverse populations. The session emphasizes equitable screening, cost-effective diagnostic pathways, and tailored lifestyle prescriptions for individuals with high social needs.

By addressing both younger adults with multimorbidity and older adults at risk of rapid functional decline, this presentation advances a dual-spectrum, equity-centered framework for sarcopenia care that aligns with evidence-based, person-centered lifestyle medicine practice.