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Middle-Age Muscle Rage
It's time to take muscle seriously.
Fellow Optimizer
14 Jan
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For those who are new here, I publish research on optimization methods, supplements, and strategies each week. I am not a medical professional or an expert, rather I am a passionate consumer. Optimizer is designed to help lay people like you and me decode the medical journals, marketing speak, and influencer messaging.
Optimization Insight
What is our fitness complacency robbing us of? Life.
The hazard ratio for being strong vs. not being strong is about 3.2 for all cause mortality. A hazard ratio greater than “1” suggests an increased risk and a hazard ratio below “1” suggests a smaller risk. Preserving strength and muscle mass through resistance training, hormone balance, and a healthy lifestyle is critical for maintaining physical function and overall well-being as we age.
Stephanie Studenski, a geriatrician and professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh:
If you look at who’s shrinking, and how much they’re shrinking, it predicts really important stuff, like how long you’re going to live, how vulnerable you are to getting sick and having to be in the hospital, how likely you are to develop problems taking care of yourself. Your whole life, there’s turnover. We’re growing new muscle and breaking down old muscle all the time
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Muscle strength, not just muscle mass, is a predictor of longevity, and increasing muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle mass can lead to a significant reduction in mortality.
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