New UCLA research suggests that the more muscle mass older Americans have, the less likely they are to die prematurely. The findings add to the growing evidence that overall body composition — and not the widely used body mass index, or BMI — is a better predictor of all-cause mortality.
The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, is the culmination of previous UCLA research led by Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, an assistant clinical professor in the endocrinology division at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, that found that building muscle mass is important in decreasing metabolic risk.
“As there is no gold-standard measure of body composition, several studies have addressed this question using different measurement techniques and have obtained different results,” Srikanthan said. “So many studies on the mortality impact of obesity focus on BMI. Our study indicates that clinicians need to be focusing on ways to improve body composition, rather than on BMI alone, when counseling older adults on preventative health behaviors.”
The researchers analyzed data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, conducted between 1988 and 1994. They focused on a group of 3,659 individuals that included men who were 55 or older and women who were 65 or older at the time of the survey. The authors then determined how many of those individuals had died from natural causes based on a follow-up survey done in 2004.
The body composition of the study subjects was measured using bioelectrical impedance, which involves running an electrical current through the body. Muscle allows the current to pass more easily than fat does, due to muscle’s water content. In this way, the researchers could determine a muscle mass index — the amount of muscle relative to height — similar to a body mass index. They looked at how this muscle mass index was related to the risk of death. They found that all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the fourth quartile of muscle mass index compared with the first quartile.
“In other words, the greater your muscle mass, the lower your risk of death,” said Dr. Arun Karlamangla, an associate professor in the geriatrics division at the Geffen School and the study’s co-author. “Thus, rather than worrying about weight or body mass index, we should be trying to maximize and maintain muscle mass.”
This study does have some limitations. For instance, one cannot definitively establish a cause-and-effect relationship between muscle mass and survival using a cohort study such as NHANES III. “But we can say that muscle mass seems to be an important predictor of risk of death,” Srikanthan said. In addition, bioelectrical impedance is not the most advanced measurement technique, though the NHANES III measurements were conducted in a very rigorous fashion “and practically, this is the best situation possible in a study of this size,” she noted.
“Despite these limitations, this study establishes the independent survival
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Fitness News — Sciencedaily
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Speed training is becoming more and more common in all sports. Whether you play Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Lacrosse, etc… In this specific vid…
<p> [wprebay kw=”exercise” num=”5″ ebcat=”26395″]
Three Basic Factors To Sexy Abs!
<img style="float:right;margin:5px 0px 5px 10px;" alt="English: Pulldown exercise, which strengthens the arms and back Français : Formation de résistance par un vieillard, Hollywood Ð ÑÑÑкий: ÐневмаÑиÑеÑки ÑегÑлиÑÑÐµÐ¼Ð°Ñ ÑÑга на ÑÑенажÑÑе Ð´Ð»Ñ Ð¿Ð¾Ð¶Ð¸Ð»ÑÑ , ÐолливÑд" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/UPSTREAM_FITNESS-7.jpg/350px-UPSTREAM_FITNESS-7.jpg”> There are three basic factors that will help you lose your belly: strength training (which increases resting metabolic rate), cardiovascular exercise (which […]
Premature birth linked to withdrawn personality
New research indicates that adults born very premature are more likely to be socially withdrawn and display signs of autism. The study was led by Professor Dieter Wolke at the department of psychology and Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick. The results showed that the adults born very preterm scored highly for displaying a socially […]
About Yoga
Yoga was developed in India at least three thousand years ago, and is a discipline that uses breath control, meditation and physical exercises. There are number of things about yoga that make it particular appealing, chiefly because it helps to promote mental and physical well being. The purpose of the philosophy and technique is to […]
What Is Yoga
Yoga, which means discipline, was developed in the year 300 by an Indian Hindu named Patanjali. Its purpose is to stretch the muscles, strengthen the body and increase concentration. It can also help you relax, if you have trouble doing that. No wonder this ancient discipline has become popular among modern entertainers and athletes. Depending […]
Is it gonna work?
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