Health Farm

--  Muscle mass lowers risk of developing heart disease

Lift weights, people, because all that grunting does your ticker a wonder of good.

A new study of muscle mass and cardiovascular disease has found that, for men at least, entering middle age with a decent set of muscles lowers the subsequent risk of developing heart disease by as much as 81% compared to risks faced by other (saggy) men.

The results add to mounting evidence that maintaining muscle is critical to healthy ageing, including even brain health.

Researchers tracked the muscles and heart health of Mediterranean men and women as they moved through middle age, calculating each person’s overall muscle mass and then looking for signs of heart disease at a follow-up appointment, 10 years later.

Almost 27% of study participants developed heart disease, with the incidence about six times higher among men than women.

Researchers suggest that entering middle age with plenty of muscle helps protect the heart – likely a spinoff from muscle’s metabolic effects, which include improved blood-sugar control and diminished inflammation.

Get back to the gym – or try 40 push-ups a day.