As stretching i) involves lower perceived exertion and energy expenditure, but ii) stimulates protein synthesis, could it be used as a method to attenuate the loss of muscle mass in elderly population?
The quick answer is Yes .. at least the application of resistance training - using elastic bands, light weights etc .. see the lovely review by Timothy Law and colleagues - Resistance Exercise to Prevent and Manage Sarcopenia and Dynapenia -
Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr. 2016 ; 36(1): 205–228. doi:10.1891/0198-8794.36.205.
Resistance training, yes I know. I am talking about (passive) stretching.
OK .. well then the answer is still Yes provided the passive stretch is sufficient enough to induce sarcomere addition through a raisef cytoplasmic calcium via stretch-activated calcium channels .. see .. The Effects of Active and Passive Stretching on Muscle Length. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 23(1):51-7, 2012
I wouldn't think it is an effective method to attenuate loss of muscle mass or maintain muscle function if used alone. To stimulate the addition of in series sarcomeres (which I think is questionable to achieve with stretching training), it's necessary to use high intensity stretching, and I don't think it would be very well tolerated by elderly as it's hard for young adults to tolerate the pain they experience.
It is likely that passive stretch of muscle is a strong stimulus for longitudinal growth of muscle fibres. A Study performed by van der Pijl and colleagues (2018) suggest that titin stiffness modulates cross‐sectional hypertrophy during cyclic, passive muscle stretch.
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