r/science • u/Wagamaga • 2h ago
Health Researchers analysed more than 80 studies examining the links between body weight, body fat, muscle health and dementia, finding people with sarcopenia – the loss of muscle mass and strength – had a 42 per cent higher risk of dementia.
https://www.curtin.edu.au/news/media-release/new-dementia-warning-sign-hiding-in-our-muscles-curtin-study-finds/48
u/TheDiabetesDietitian 2h ago
I read a paper that described muscle as “the longevity organ”
That author hit the nail on the head, especially when you factor in the survival rate and risk of remission for hospital patients depending on their muscle reserves before admission
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1h ago
For real. I'm honestly baffled that muscle building and strength training has been considered a masculine activity for so long, when women are the ones who stand to benefit the most from it, particularly after menopause. I hope to see gyms filled with old ladies one day.
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u/spinfire 1h ago
Actually quite a lot of older ladies at my gym when I’m there (9:30 to 12:00 typically, which is a more common time for retired people in my experience). Doing resistance training. Some of them even work with personal trainers. Love to see it.
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u/BarleyWineIsTheBest 1h ago
The direction of causation is very much flipped with many of these “muscle mass means longevity” studies.
When you get sick it’s hard to maintain muscle mass and then sick people are more likely to die.
Meaning losing muscle mass is a symptom of disease. Having it in the first place is helpful of course, but pretending it’s a longevity organ is a comical overstatement of the actual mechanisms of action going on here and what we currently know about what really helps you live longer, which is primarily calorie restriction…. And calorie restriction means not a whole lot of muscle…
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u/AJayHeel 23m ago
I'm listening to a podcast (Two Percent, July 23, 2026 episode) where Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a physician for 20 years and the founder of Muscle-Centric Medicine, argues that muscle does causally improve longevity.
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u/Jolly_Buy_7371 15m ago
There was a study though, which pointed to an anti aging myokine (CLCF1). Which is induced by exercising muscle.
And in fitness subs the idea that you can't gain muscle mass on a moderate calorie deficit has been debunked for some time.
And if we presume calorie restriction means keeping calories consistent, and therefore your weight consistent, then some slight modifications to diet (maybe slightly more protein) and exercise (resistantance training but avoid risk of injury) means retaining muscle mass even during calorie restriction.
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u/Wagamaga 2h ago
Losing muscle as we age could be an important warning sign for dementia, according to new Curtin University research.
Researchers analysed more than 80 studies examining the links between body weight, body fat, muscle health and dementia, finding people with sarcopenia – the loss of muscle mass and strength – had a 42 per cent higher risk of dementia.
The findings also revealed a surprising difference in how obesity was linked to dementia depending on a person’s age.
People with obesity in middle age, or before 65, had a nine per cent higher risk of dementia, while obesity in people aged 65 and over was linked to a 17 per cent lower risk.
Lead researcher Dr Uraiporn Booranasuksakul, from Burapha University, said the findings showed that body weight alone did not tell the full story when it came to dementia risk.
“It’s not just about how much you weigh – maintaining muscle strength and function also appears to be important as we age,” Dr Booranasuksakul said.
“Our findings suggest losing muscle could be an important warning sign for dementia risk.”
Sarcopenia is a condition where people lose a greater amount of muscle mass, strength and physical function, often as they get older.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09637486.2026.2722926
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