Robert Catanese thought he was just feeling his age. The 66-year-old Sydneysider had swapped 40 years of middle management for part-time garden maintenance, and the physical demands were catching up.

"I was feeling that my body was getting weaker, that I just didn't have the strength," he says. "Some of these tasks were hard to do, and I was experiencing a few aches and pains."

His GP told him the real problem: muscle loss, medically known as sarcopenia.

Catanese is far from alone. The National Muscle Health Survey, run in 2024 by Deakin University's Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) and commissioned by Abbott, found that one in five Australians over 60 are living with the condition. That's 20 per cent — higher than the 18.7 per cent prevalence of diabetes among older Australians.

Professor David Scott, one of the study's researchers, says muscle loss starts in your mid-30s and accelerates with age. "A person may be diagnosed if their muscle mass and strength decline to levels low enough to impact their health and ability to live independently," he explains.

"It creeps up on people; a patient will come to me and will say, 'Look, I just feel I'm getting older, or things are becoming more difficult'." — Dr Jeremy Keh, GP

Dr Jeremy Keh says sarcopenia is often silent. The warning signs are everyday struggles: difficulty holding a cup, opening a jar, or getting up from a chair.

If ignored, the consequences are serious. Dr Ben Kirk, a senior research fellow in exercise physiology at the University of Melbourne, says sarcopenia can lead to physical disability, falls, broken bones, and loss of independence. "These adverse outcomes have terrible consequences on quality of life and are costly to the Australian health system," he says.

Sarcopenia also raises the risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Skeletal muscle is needed for healthy bones through mechanical loading, and it's the body's largest storage site for sugar, helping protect against heart disease.

Despite the numbers, fewer than one in four people who noticed declining muscle health have raised it with their doctor. Keh says sarcopenia isn't seen as urgent. "On the list of glamorous medical conditions, sarcopenia is down at the bottom," he says. "But it really needs to come to the forefront because, without sarcopenia screening, you're going to end up with those fancy medical conditions."

GPs can test for it with simple checks like grip strength and the speed of sitting up from a chair. Scott says the best prevention starts young: "By being active, young people can put larger deposits into their 'muscle banks' so that they have sufficient muscle reserves to draw down on later in life."

For those already in later life, Kirk says it's never too late. "In regard to muscle loss, the term 'use it or lose it' holds true," he says. "I can't emphasise the importance of resistance-based exercise — use of free weights like dumbbells or kettlebells, resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises."

  • 1 in 5 Australians over 60 have sarcopenia (muscle loss)
  • That's higher than diabetes prevalence (18.7%) in the same age group
  • Muscle loss begins in mid-30s and accelerates with age
  • Fewer than 1 in 4 people with symptoms have discussed it with a doctor
  • Red flags include sudden weight loss (including from GLP-1 drugs), sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and chronic diseases
  • Simple tests: grip strength and chair-stand speed