Want to live longer? Unfortunately, researchers haven’t found the Fountain of Youth yet–but this finding could set your physical age back a few decades.
Publishing their findings in the American Journal of Medicine, researchers say that having more muscle mass could stop premature death–death that occurs due to a illness or injury years before their expected demise.
Unfortunately, many adults don’t focus on building muscle mass well into their elderly years.
“So many studies on the mortality impact of obesity focus on BMI [body mass index],” says Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, an assistant endocrinology clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Our study indicates that clinicians need to be focusing on ways to improve body composition, rather than on BMI alone, when counseling older adults on preventative health behaviors.”
The Study
For researchers, they sought out to confirm one hypothesis: Having more muscle mass reduced a person’s mortality. To do so, they examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, or NHANES, which collected health and nutrition information of American adults and children. They then used the data to isolate those who would fit their study criteria–participants who were advanced in age with varying amounts of muscle mass. In total, they collected data on over 3,500 participants.
From there, they looked at their muscle mass by using something called bioelectrical impedance, a measurement which involves running an electric current through the body. This type of measurement is considered more accurate when compared to other methods, such as skin calipers, because the current passes more easily through the muscle tissue.
After splitting the men into percentiles based on their muscle mass, they began seeing an interesting correlation–the more muscle mass present, the less likely they were to die prematurely from disease, such as diabetes or heart disease.
In essence, their hypothesis was correct.
“In other words, the greater your muscle mass, the lower your risk of death,” says Arun Karlamangla, co-atuhor of the study and a geriatrics associate professor at the Geffen School. “Thus, rather than worrying about weight or body mass index, we should be trying to maximize and maintain muscle mass.
However, Karlamangla does warn that these results can’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the two, as the evidence only examined the prevalence of these two factors. As best, it suggests that muscle mass could become a predictor of death, something doctors could use to make recommendations to their patients.
Still, having more muscle mass wouldn’t hurt.
“We conclude that measurement of muscle mass relative to body height should be added to the toolbox of clinicians caring for older adults,” says Karlamangla. “Future research should determine the type and duration of exercise interventions that improve muscle mass and potentially increase survival in (healthy), older adults.”
As for the easiest way to gain more muscle mass, resistance training–preferably in the form of lifting heavy weights–may be your best key to success.
Readers: Do you focus on building muscle mass with your exercise program? Why or why not?
Source:
Study: Having More Muscle Mass Reduces Premature Death – ScienceDaily.com
Higher Muscle Mass Associated with Lower Incidences of Premature Death – AMJMed.com
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