Muscle Mass predicts longevity.

Preparation, Preparedness & Prevention Fitness and Nutrition
1

An important, yet fully predictable, finding in my view, and something I have been discussing for decades now. See my show & article on sarcopenia for additional info.

The basic write up in Scientific American:

Muscle Mass Beats BMI as Longevity Predictor

“…when it comes to longevity, a focus on weight loss may be misplaced. Because BMI isn’t actually a very reliable indicator of life span. A more useful measure, some physicians say, might be muscle mass. Researchers analyzed BMI and muscle mass data from more than 3,600 seniors in a long-term study. And they tracked which seniors had died, a decade later. Turns out BMI wasn’t much good at predicting chance of death.”

Cont. HERE

The study:

Muscle Mass Index as a Predictor of Longevity in Older-Adults

Abstract

Purpose

Obesity (as defined by body mass index) hasn’t been consistently associated with higher mortality in older adults. However, total body mass includes fat and muscle which have different metabolic effects. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that greater muscle mass in older adults will be associated with lower all-cause mortality.

Methods

All-cause mortality was analyzed by the year 2004 in 3,659 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, who were 55 years (65 years if women) or older at the time of the survey (1988-94).I ndividuals who were underweight or died in the first 2 years of follow-up, were excluded so as to remove frail elders from the sample. Skeletal muscle mass was measured using bioelectrical impedance and muscle mass index was defined as muscle mass divided by height squared.Modified Poisson regression and proportional hazards regression were used to examine the relationship of muscle mass index with all-cause mortality risk and rate respectively, adjusted for central obesity (waist hip ratio)and other significant covariates.

Results

In adjusted analyses, total mortality was significantly lower in the fourth quartile of muscle mass index compared to the first: adjusted risk ratio 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.71 – 0.91) and adjusted hazard ratio 0.80 (95% confidence interval 0.66 – 0.97).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the survival predication ability of relative muscle mass and highlights the need to look beyond total body mass in assessing the health of older adults.

Source: Elsevier

2

Will,

A few years back, I read about a group of very elderly folks who were studied in regard to their longevity.

The common finding among all studied was a very high quantity of High Density Lipoproteins in their blood.

Have I have precise figures and details?

No, but anecdotically, the gist of the article was none of this group of elderly folk practiced or ate anything particular to lengthen their lives, but everyone to a person had very high HDL’s in their blood stream. (as in far above the average joe’s)

3

There’s a fair amount of data that finds strength (usually measured as hand grip) correlated well to longevity. It’s been a consistent finding. Strength and muscle mass are not as strongly correlated as one might expect, but does exist. It would not surprise me HDL would also be found to be associated with longevity. Was it specific to CVD or all cause mortality?

4

Will,

Beyond what I posted, I don’t recall much more detail, sorry…

However, for guys like myself (and you I think) who push themselves for fitness, I never did it for hope that being fit will increase my longevity. I do it for all the things I want to continue to do, i.e., L.D. cycling, sea kayaking, dusk to dawn salt water wade fishing and I could go on, but won’t, cuz hey, I’m excessively modest to the point of braggadocio…

Without constant fitness training I couldn’t pursue these adventures.

If, all the exercise I do happens to lengthen my life, well, hallelujah, but I rather doubt it, with one small caveat.

There’s another hypothesis floating around out there that states we’re born with a death clock, if you will, that says roughly once yer ticker hits about a billion or so ticks, you’re done.

That being said, at one time my resting heart rate was 43 and stayed there for 22 years. I was a minimum ten mile a day runner up to that time until I blew out right knee and L.D. running became a thing of the past along with my resting heart rate number.

Though I got into other long distance athletic events (my favorite was L.D. inline skating, until once again my knee became a problem) my resting heart rate was never as low as when I ran.

And, on that note, I’ll quit blathering.

5

I’ll go out on a limb here and wager that THAT type of “extreme” fitness is as helpful for longevity as being an uber-packed bodybuilder. IMHO the answer (as far as longevity is concerned) lies somewhere in between: a combination of decent cardiovascular fitness with a modicum of strength/muscle mass. Extremes, if you will, in either direction (assuming it’s maintained for perhaps decades) can’t be good in the long run.

I’m not talking about a brisk 20 minute walk followed by a Bally’s 20 minute machine workout. I’m referring to cardio that makes you wish for it to be done (i.e. it sucks!) and weight training that leaves you sore and smoked each time (the “good” sore, not injured). Maybe in the top 10 percentile for your age in each category as opposed to the top 1% of one of them.

All that said, my hat’s off to you for being a 10 mile-a-day runner for all that time (just as I’d be impressed with someone who could powerlift for that many years).

6

ABNAK,

To be fair, I did and do, what I do because I LIKE it. Or as a buddy is fond of saying, “anything worth doing, is worth overdoing…”

I’m never more alert and in the moment as when I’m doing some sort of demanding exercise.

They’ll be plenty of time to rest when …

7

Death clock type concepts have been around before any real science existed to examine it. For example the heart having a max number of heart beats, etc. All mostly hypothesis based on no hard science, or some flimsy science. Where the death clock concept starts to hold real legitimacy as a concept is in genetics, and topics like tolemeres length that limits cell replication, but also appears also involve cancer, which is uncontrolled cell replication, is where death clock concept is real.

So, there’s a death clock of sorts it appears and some interesting calculations of maximal possible human life span based on genetics. It’s still poorly understood, but the knowledge base is growing rapidly and I suspect real breakthroughs to understanding human aging and disease are withing grasp and may happen i our life time. Obviously, that opens a whole new set of possible issues to deal with. I’m not an expert in this area, but here’s some good intel to read:

“…each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When they get too short, the cell can no longer divide; it becomes inactive or “senescent”, or it dies. This shortening process is associated with aging, cancer, and a higher risk of death. So telomeres also have been compared with a bomb fuse.”

Cont:

Are Telomeres The Key To Aging And Cancer?

Back in the day when I was younger, and under 500lb squats, etc, no I didn’t really think of the effects on longevity per se, although I tend to view exercise more in terms of health/wellness much more so now.

I’m more interested in being able to workout in some form or another year after year, decade after decade, until something kills me, vs breaking any new personal records, or being “hard core” these days.

Some times our priorities change. :slight_smile:

8

There’s always going to be the extremes on both ends of the continuum between no exercise and excessive/extreme/prolonged exercise and their obvious potential negatives of those two extremes.

9

That pretty much nails my philosophy these days.

Until they close the lid and throw in the dirt…

10

I’m reading this while I grind up two peanut butter slathered bagels, plus orange juice to help give me the energy for my upcoming long distance cycle outing. Oh yeah, and a handful of things like chondroiten glucosamine, b12 and the list goes on.

Most of my time on the bike is spent well out in the countryside where many let their Pitt Bulls and other ferocious carnivores run free and when they spot me they immediately attack.

I always carry a four ounce can of Freeze Plus P pepper / tear gas spray in a belt clip holster, that I can quickly remove from my belt. I’m often attacked enough on my rides (my minimum ride is 25 miles) that I buy this stuff by the case. Each can is good for about 12/15 stream sprays before the distance it will spray is too diminished. So far, I’ve only had 2 attacks that didn’t stop the attackers immediately once sprayed and without knowing precisely how many times I’ve been attacked, I’d guess it’s in the plus two hundred count, maybe more… You have to hit them in the mucous members for it to be effective. So, maybe I didn’t get the two that kept coming adequately sprayed? I pedaled my guts out to get away and did so effectively because the wind was to my back, had it not been…?

Of course, if I do get nailed one day, I also carry a Glock 19, a spare magazine and a Spyderco Endura Clipit, if I can get to one of them in time before being ripped to shreds.

At this point, my longevity continues…