How exactly muscle mass impact age-related decline?

Maintaining muscle mass is crucial for mitigating age-related decline for several reasons, as discussed by Andrew Huberman and Gabrielle Lyon on the Huberman Lab.

1. Physical Function: Skeletal muscle is essential for strength, power, and physical capabilities like walking, climbing stairs, or lifting objects. With age, muscle quality and function diminish, increasing the risk for falls and injuries like hip fractures. These injuries, especially in older adults, can significantly impact longevity due to subsequent inactivity and associated metabolic issues1.

2. Metabolic Health: Muscle acts as a key component in metabolic health. It utilizes nutrients efficiently and reduces the risk of conditions such as insulin resistance. When muscle activity declines, metabolism becomes deranged, leading to adverse effects like fatty acid infiltration into muscles, promoting inflammation and insulin resistance. Maintaining muscle health helps avert these conditions 1.

3. Disease Resistance: Healthy muscle mass improves survivability against diseases, including cancer. Muscle releases myokines during contraction, which interact with immune cells and help regulate inflammatory responses. This interaction can dampen inflammation and support overall immune function, enhancing resilience against various illnesses 2.

4. Neurological Benefits: Exercise, particularly resistance training, supports brain health by maintaining and even enhancing neural circuits. It also promotes the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is vital for synaptic connections. These actions counteract the typical decline in brain volume and function associated with aging, helping to fend off conditions like dementia 2.

5. Preventing Muscle Loss: Resistance training can offset the typical loss of muscle mass and strength as we age. After age 40, an estimated 1% drop in muscle size occurs annually without intervention, and practicing regular resistance training can prevent or even reverse this decline. It also mitigates the more significant declines in strength, power, speed, and explosiveness that naturally occur with aging 3.

   • 

     1

     Muscle as Medicine

     01:34:49
     
   • 

     2

     Exercise and Brain Health

     01:41:16
     
   • 

     3

     Strength Training Essentials

     00:33:11
     

Overall, preserving muscle mass through regular exercise is a key strategy for maintaining health and prolonging life as we age.