Tanita white paper says early body health key to staving off onset of muscle wasting disease in older people

Amsterdam, February 19, 2018 - Tanita suggests early body health monitoring can help stave off the onset of the muscle wasting disease sarcopenia, benefiting people’s mobility and quality of life as well as helping protect the public purse by cutting the fast growing health consequences. In a new White Paper, Tanita - the world foremost body composition monitoring expert - writes that apart from illness, the main causes of muscle loss are inactive lifestyles and ageing both of which can be addressed by lifestyle changes prompted and aided by healthy exercise and dietary habits.

“The Tanita White Paper provides an opportunity for medical and other health and lifestyle practitioners working across the wellbeing industry to learn about the causes of muscle wasting — and influence the health agenda,” says Mr. Jan Alderlieste, managing director of Tanita Europe (pictured below).

A study by researchers from the University of Liège, Belgium, concluded that almost 11 million people across Europe suffered from sarcopenia in 2016 and predicted a staggering 72.4 percent increase in sufferers by 2045. The study also noted that women currently account for 66.4% of prevalent sarcopenia cases.

For health practitioners in the public and private sectors alike, the key takeaway within Tanita’s White Paper ‘Staving off sarcopenia’, published in January 2018, can be found on page eight of the 16-page document. The statement, which could significantly change how health practioneers work with sarcopenia in the future, stresses the muscle wasting disease can be slowed and even halted.

The document says a key solution is to regularly measure and act upon changes in body composition: 'Using Bioelectric Impedence Analysis (BIA) offers a simple and cost-effective method for muscle health monitoring that could be widely used across many medical care settings, from primary health care to hospitals as well as home use/self monitoring’.

BIA technology measures body composition by measuring body fat

in relation to lean body mass by sending an ultra low, safe electrical current through the body. The current passes freely through the fluids contained in muscle tissue, but meets resistance when encountering fatty tissue, enabling the body fat percentage of the individual to be computed.

A 2014 study published by the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information describes body composition assessment tools as a promising way to measure fluctuations in a body and gain insight into clinical condition, illness and quality of life. Tanita, the acknowledged leader in the development of health monitoring and body composition monitors and scales, with sales of more than 28 million units worldwide, believes that sarcopenia is not inevitable and can be addressed through greater awareness of the problem and causes and understanding there are solutions.

The latest studies show that it’s never too late to start exercising and gain the long term health benefits, says Tanita’s Jan Alderlieste.

“Our motto is move, measure and stay motivated. Start exercising more often, simply by walking at a comfortable pace. Then increase intensity and frequency. Start building better muscle quality with resistance and weight training, and eating a protein rich diet. Finally stay motivated through regular monitoring to stay motivated.”

For more information, please contact,

Madeleine Bosch, European marketing head at Madeleine.bosch@tanita.eu or on +31 642267416

For press information and photography, contact: David Noble on +44 7785302694 or at noble.david@icloud.com