隨著全世界老年人口快速地增加，老年人健康照護成為一項重要的任務。肌少症代表的是隨著年紀的老化伴隨著骨骼肌的質量與力量減少，目前已經被視為老年症候群的一員。肌少症對長者產生嚴重的影響並衍生出許多健康上的問題，像是身體功能下降、跌倒、生活品質降低、衰弱、增加死亡率以及健康照護上的花費。在2010年歐洲老年肌少症事務委員會提出了肌少症的診斷標準，包含了肌肉量減少加上肌力減弱且/或低身體功能表現，隨後亞太肌少症事務委員會也針對亞洲族群提出了肌少症診斷標準值的建議。肌少症的成因一般認為是多重原因造成，例如神經肌肉交界處的數量減少、賀爾蒙的改變、活動量減少、營養缺乏以及身體氧化壓力的增加等，皆會促成肌少症的發生。目前對於肌少症的治療與介入以阻抗性運動加上營養補充被視為較有效且有證據的方法。由於肌少症對於長者健康上的影響甚鉅，因此早期的辨識高危險族群並給予積極介入以延緩肌少症與後續健康上的不良事件發生，對於醫療從業人員是相當重要且刻不容緩的工作。

With the rapid increase in the senior population, health care of older adults has become a significant task worldwide. Sarcopenia, characterized by age-related decline in the skeletal muscle mass and strength, is a newly-recognized geriatric syndrome. Due to the impact of sarcopenia on the daily lives of older people, sarcopenia may contribute to a number of adverse health outcomes, including reduced physical capability, falls, poor quality of life, disability, frailty, mortality, as well as high health care expenditures. In 2010, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) proposed a definition for sarcopenia based on low muscle mass plus low muscle strength and/or low physical performance. Soon thereafter, the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) recommended diagnostic cut-off values for sarcopenia in the Asian population. The cause of sarcopenia is considered to be multifactorial; specifically, loss of neuromuscular junctions, hormonal changes, decreased physical activity, decreased nutritional intake, and oxidative stress are all among the possible factors. Resistance exercise and nutritional supplements are generally acknowledged to be effective interventions for sarcopenia. Because sarcopenia strongly impacts millions of older adults and causes numerous health problems, it is crucial for health professionals to identify the population at high risk for sarcopenia and institute early intervention to prevent or postpone the onset of sarcopenia and further adverse health outcomes.