The Importance of Muscle For Reversing Ageing and Improving Metabolic Health
It is possible that the single biggest problem with our health these days across society is not that we carry too much fat, but actually that we don’t carry enough muscle.
Did you know…
- Above 30 years of age (if you are physically inactive), you lose up to 3-5% of our muscle mass per decade
- Between 50-60 years of age, your muscle power declines by about 3% per year
Muscle is a much more metabolic tissue when compared to body fat. This means that when we have more muscle, we have a higher metabolic rate. This means – at rest you will actually burn more calories per kg of muscle than you will per kg of body fat. If we start to shift our focus from losing body fat, and prioritise our largest organ, our muscle, then we can burn more fat, improve our body composition, decrease our risk of disease and increase our energy levels. Sounds good, right?
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss in muscle mass to the point where it is detrimental for our health. This is present in up to 15% of 65+ year olds and over half of people in their 80s. The causes are multifactorial, but ultimately it is a predictor of late life mortality (risk of death). Strength training is the best way of reversing this.
Other benefits of strength training:
- Improved hormonal profile (more muscle means better control of hormone action, insulin in particular).
- More muscle means more mitochondria which are the energy factories in our cells; therefore more muscle means more potential to make energy.
- Release of chemical messengers called cytokines which sends an anti-inflammatory signal to the body. Remember long-term, unresolved inflammation is a key driver of almost every single modern disease that we have.
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis
- Rejuvenates damaged muscles
- Improved brain health – in particular conflict resolution and attention
- Protective against Alzheimer’s
- Reduction in stress and anxiety
Strength training undervalued, underutilised, and of critical importance for those over the age of 30 years. Our perception is that teenagers and twenty-somethings are the ones who are pumping iron to get all buff looking, but we urgently need to shift our perception. We must look beyond aerobic exercise. And do some form of strength training each week to maintain muscle mass, function and ability to use our brains. The health of our lives is in direct correlation with the health of our muscles.