How Strong Muscles Can Extend Your Life Expectancy
If you're looking for a little motivation
to get your butt to the gym, then here it is, since according to a
recent study, published in the 'Journal of Gerontology: Medical
Sciences', having stronger muscles may actually extend your life
expectancy.
Dr. Kate Duchowny and her team carefully
analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, which has been
available to the public for the purpose of research on aging since 1990.
They analyzed the data of 8,326 people aged 65 and over, and noticed
that people with weaker muscles had a 50% chance of passing away earlier
than those with stronger muscles.
According to Duchowny, "maintaining muscle strength throughout life -
and especially in later life - is extremely important for longevity and
aging independently.”
The researchers measured the participants'
muscles strength by using a dynamometer, which needs to be squeezed by
the participant in order to determine their hand grip strength. Women
whose hand grip strength was less than 48 pounds and men whose hand grip
strength was under 85 pounds were labeled as having weak muscles, and
these groups made up 46% of the total sample together.
The results of this trial have led the team to conclude that measuring
grip strength needs to become a staple of routine physicals, especially
considering that they are both highly cost-effective and easy to perform.
According to Duchowny, "this study further
highlights the importance of integrating grip strength measurements into
routine care—not just for older adults but even in midlife,” and that
"having hand grip strength be an integral part of routine care would
allow for earlier interventions, which could lead to increased longevity
and independence for individuals.”
If you want to measure your own muscle strength in the comfort of your
own home, you can actually order your own dynamometer from the internet,
which you can use to motivate you to start building some muscle before
it's too late.