Doctor recommends protein, exercise to beat muscle atrophy By Wang Chun-chung and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer To ease the negative health effects associated with muscle loss among the nation’s aging population, a Tainan-based doctor recommends protein, vitamin D and exercise to prevent and deal with sarcopenia. About 20 percent of Taiwan’s population is to be older than 65 by 2025, making it an aged society and presenting a variety of health issues. Among them is sarcopenia, a type of muscle loss associated with age. In the US and some European countries, research has shown that 5 to 13 percent of those aged 60 to 70 have sarcopenia, said Wu Chun-feng (吳俊鋒), director of family medicine at Kuo General Hospital, adding that the figure rises to as high as half of people aged 80 or older.