Sarcopenia and dinapenia in elderly individuals participating in a supervised exercise program

This study assessed the effects of a supervised exercise program on the prevention of sarcopenia and dynapenia in the elderly. 90 elderly individuals ( = 67.40 ± 6.59 years) from Primary Health Care, most of whom had chronic diseases and were on medication, participated in the study. They underwent assessments of calf circumference (CC) and muscle strength (MS) before and after 16 weeks of training in four experimental groups, with two one-hour sessions per week. Additionally, sociodemographic data were collected. The results revealed significant gains in CC (∆% = 3.94, p = 0.003) and MS (∆% = 23.54, p = 0.0034) after the program. These findings highlight the effectiveness of an MS training program in preventing sarcopenia and dynapenia. It can be concluded that regular physical exercise plays a significant role in improving the health and quality of life of older individuals.