A focus shift from sarcopenia to muscle health in the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2025 Consensus Update

Abstract

The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) presents an updated 2025 consensus reframing sarcopenia management through a life-course approach to muscle health promotion. While aligning with the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS), this update provides healthcare providers with Asia-specific guidance. The consensus introduces three key refinements: first, expanding sarcopenia diagnosis to middle-aged adults (50‒64 years) with validated diagnostic thresholds; second, simplifying the diagnostic algorithm to require only concurrent low muscle mass and strength, with physical performance as an outcome measure; and third, introducing an enhanced muscle health framework recognizing skeletal muscle as vital for healthy longevity, emphasizing cross-talk with brain, bone, adipose tissue and immune systems. This framework leverages the World Health Organization’s Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) implementation for enhanced case-finding through natural overlap between muscle health and ICOPE’s intrinsic capacity domains. The consensus provides evidence-based recommendations for multimodal interventions that combine resistance exercise with nutritional supplementation, representing advancement toward proactive muscle health promotion and establishing a framework for reducing age-related decline in Asian populations.