Muscle Mass and Strength Research

Risk factors for loss of muscle strength in aging men
The researchers concluded that the following were risk factors:
“Multivariate analyses revealed that besides older age, other risk factors also contributed to the loss of muscle strength in older men, including back pain, use of calcium channel blockers, caffeine intake, and height and weight loss.”

Resistance Training Important for Aging Muscles and Tendons
Researchers writing the medical journal Experimental Physiology say that resistance training is not only good for preventing age-related loss of muscle but for tendons as well.

Strength Training and Nutritional Counseling Benefits In Women
Writing in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers noted that long-term strength training and nutritional counseling had positive effects of metabolic health indicators.

Walking off Postmenopausal Decreases in bone mineral density, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and balance.
Researchers writing in the medical journal Physical Therapy say that “Menopause may induce a phase of rapid decreases in bone mineral density, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and balance, especially in sedentary women. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects and feasibility of an exercise program of 1 or 2 bouts of walking and resistance training on lower-extremity muscle strength (the force-generating capacity of muscle), balance, and walking performance in women who recently went through menopause.”

What is the Effect of Insulin Resistance and Loss of Lean Muscle (Sarcopenia) As We Age?
Researchers writing in the Journal of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology say: “A reduced response of older skeletal muscle to anabolic stimuli (exercise & diet) may contribute to the development of sarcopenia.

Power Training and Balance in Older Adults
Researchers in Australia and Massachusetts say that low load, high velocity power training can improve balance and reduce fall risks in aging subjects. The researchers concluded: “Power training significantly improved balance performance in participants who underwent power training compared to controls. Low intensity power training produced the greatest improvement in balance performance.

The Importance of Strength Training Exercises in Aging

Researchers writing in the medical journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research say that “although aerobic exercise is important in maintaining overall health, the resistance type of muscle training may be more applicable to the basic rules of bone adaptation and site-specific effects of exercise, have more favorable effects in maintaining or improving bone mass and architecture, and be safe and feasible for older people.”

Suominen H. Muscle training for bone strength. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2006 Apr;18(2):85-93.

From the abstract:
“The main function of bone is to provide the mechanical integrity for locomotion and protection; accordingly, bone mass and architecture are adjusted to control the strains produced by mechanical load and muscular activity.

Age-related patterns involve peak bone mass during growth, a plateau in adulthood, and bone loss during aging. The decline in bone mass and structural integrity results in increased risk of fractures, particularly in post-menopausal women.

Although aerobic exercise is important in maintaining overall health, the resistance type of muscle training may be more applicable to the basic rules of bone adaptation and site-specific effects of exercise, have more favorable effects in maintaining or improving bone mass and architecture, and be safe and feasible for older people.

It has been suggested that there is an opportunity for resistance training, for improved effects on BMD (Bone Mass Density) in postmenopausal women in bones which have less daily loading. In addition to BMC and BMD, bone geometry and mass distribution may also change as a result of training and other treatment, such as hormonal replacement therapy, thereby further improving bone strength and reducing fracture risk. Appropriate training regimens may reduce the risk of falls and the severity of fall-related injuries, and also constitute potential therapy to improve functional ability and the quality of life in osteoporotic patients. However, further research is needed on dose-response relationships between exercise and bone strength, the feasibility of high-load, high-speed and impact-type of physical training, and the risks and benefits of intensive exercisein elderly individuals.

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