The Crucial Role of Muscular Strength in Aging and Cognition
Understanding the Link between Muscle Health, Aging, and Cognitive Function
As we age, maintaining our physical and cognitive health becomes increasingly important. As we’ve gone over in previous blogs the research is seemingly endless when it comes to the importance of maintaining and gaining muscular strength for our short term and long term health and longevity. The other side of the coin of muscular strength is sarcopenia, a condition characterized by the loss of muscle mass and function.
Current global health data reveals a striking correlation between this loss of muscle, and cognitive decline, including dementia. With over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia and projections estimating nearly 140 million by 2050, understanding and managing muscle health has never been more critical.
Muscular Strength and Aging
Muscular strength, our ability to exert force, is not just about lifting heavy weights. It is intrinsically linked to nearly every aspect of health in aging populations. Sitting down and getting up, that takes strength. Getting off the floor or out of bed, that takes strength. Carrying your groceries into the house, that takes strength. Strength can be built throughout our entire life and we know that individuals with more strength on average live longer, are able to recover from surgeries quicker, and are able to continue living the way they want longer.
The opposite side of the coin of strength is sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and function. “Sarcopenia is associated with a high risk of a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including poor overall and disease-progression free survival rate, postoperative complications, and longer hospitalization in patients with different medical situations as well as falls and fracture, metabolic disorders, cognitive impairment, and mortality in general populations.”
Sarcopenia is a risk factor for many different diseases states.
What is a risk factor?
Risk factors are characteristics or conditions that increase the likelihood of a person developing a specific disease or health problem. These risk factors can typically be distributed among a few categories.
Genetic and Familial Risk Factors: Beyond individual genetics, family history plays a crucial role. Certain diseases, like many forms of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, have a hereditary component, making a person more susceptible if they have a family history of these conditions this is due to both genetics and modeling behavior passed down generationally.
Cultural and Ethnic Risk Factors: Different cultural or ethnic groups can have varying susceptibilities to certain diseases due to genetic, environmental, lifestyle, or socio-economic factors unique to those groups as well.
Occupational Risk Factors: Certain occupations expose individuals to specific risks – for example, prolonged sitting or repetitive motion in office jobs can lead to musculoskeletal problems, while exposure to hazardous materials can be a risk in industrial jobs.
Lifestyle and Socioeconomic Status: These factors broadly influence health, affecting access to healthcare, nutritional choices, stress levels, and exposure to harmful environments. Socioeconomic status can also affect education levels about health risks and access to preventative care.
Psychological Factors: Mental health is increasingly recognized as playing a significant role in physical health. Stress, depression, and other mental health conditions can contribute to a range of physical health problems.
Age and Life Stage: Different stages of life come with specific risk factors.
Comorbidities: Having one health condition can sometimes increase the risk of developing another. For example, diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This brings us to a pivotal point in our discussion: the direct impact of muscular strength on preventing dementia, a growing concern in our aging population and a topic we have repeatedly discussed. Nearly 14% of individuals over the age of 71 have a type of dementia.
Up to 40% of dementia cases are attributable to modifiable risk factors, with sarcopenia being a significant contributor. This muscle degeneration is associated with increased morbidity, functional impairment, and death.
Muscular Strength and Cognition
The connection between muscular strength and cognitive health is complex yet profound. While we typically don’t think of our muscles or our entire muscular system as an organ, it acts this way. In fact our entire skeletal muscle system, acts as an endocrine organ. However, instead of releasing hormones our muscles release special signaling molecules when they are used.
Think of it this way, your muscles have a complex way of communicating with your brain, similar to a two-way conversation. When your muscles are active, they release special types of proteins called myokines, and tiny packets filled with signaling molecules, known as exosomes. These substances travel through your bloodstream to your brain, where they attach to specific receptors. This interaction not only helps improve brain function, like enhancing memory and thinking skills, but also protects the brain from damage caused by stress and inflammation. Essentially, exercising not only makes your muscles stronger but also helps keep your brain sharp and resilient.
So how do you know if you have decent muscular health?
Well a recently published study found that the shorter the length of time someone is able to stand on one leg the higher their chance of hip fractures, decline in daily living activities, and all-cause mortality in individuals over 65. This is because the length of time one is able to stand on one leg has a direct relationship with the quality and mass of muscle specifically in those over 65. If you’re someone under 65 this study might even have bigger implications because if you are unable to reach a certain time standing on one leg your risk factors for developing other diseases might be even higher.
So how do you do the test and what time should you shoot for?
In the picture on the right you can see how to position yourself. All you have to do is stand on one leg and lift the other leg off the ground. The time that you are able to keep your leg off the ground is your total time. If balancing is your issue that’s another problem and I’d suggest you check out our video on balance training or give us a call to schedule a complimentary consultation where we can find out if working one-on-one to improve your balance is the best option for you.
Now what time should you shoot for?
At least 20 seconds. Individuals who were only able to hold for 20 seconds had the least healthy muscles, the 40 second group had healthier muscles and those who were able to hold for 60 seconds had the healthiest muscles.
The Power of Movement and Strength Training
Given the undeniable link between muscle health, aging, and cognition, embracing regular movement and exercise, particularly strength training, is crucial. Strength training not only reduces the typical muscle mass loss that we see as we age but also improves muscle quality, reducing fat deposition in muscles, and leading to a higher release of the myokines which improve brain function and overall health.
Now What?
Incorporating Strength Training into Daily Life
Simple, everyday activities like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or even the one leg standing test can serve as practical strength training exercises. For those who can, more structured routines involving resistance training will be more beneficial. The key is consistency and finding enjoyable activities that can be sustained long-term.
Embracing Strength for a Healthier Aging Journey
Muscular strength plays a pivotal role in our health as we age, influencing both our physical abilities and cognitive functions. Simple tests like the One Leg Standing Test can be instrumental in monitoring the health of our muscles. Most importantly, incorporating regular movement and strength training into our routine can be a powerful tool in increasing the health of our body and mind and increasing our healthspan.
As always I hope your enjoyed this blog and feel free to reach out to me at drcoffman@optimizeocolumbus.com with any questions.
References
Tabara Y, Okada Y, Ochi M, Ohyagi Y, Igase M. One-leg standing time is a simple measure for loss of skeletal muscle mass and fat deposition in muscle: the J-SHIPP study. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2024 Jan 28;36(1):7. doi: 10.1007/s40520-023-02665-8. PMID: 38280978; PMCID: PMC10821963.
Brookmeyer, R., et al. Projections of Alzheimer's disease in the United States and the public health Impact of delaying disease onset. American Journal of Public Health 1998;88:1337-42.
Evans, D.A., et al. Estimated prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in the United States. Milbank Quarterly 1990;68:267-289.
Hebert, L.E., et al. Alzheimer disease in the US population. Archives of Neurology 2003;60:1119-22.
Plassman, B.L., et al. Prevalence of dementia in the United States: The Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study. Neuroepidemiology2007; 29:125-132.
Yuan S, Larsson SC. Epidemiology of sarcopenia: Prevalence, risk factors, and consequences. Metabolism. 2023 Jul;144:155533. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2023.155533. Epub 2023 Mar 11. PMID: 36907247.