Saving money is not as good as "saving muscles"? Research finds: People with muscles live longer!

The "Proton Group" with tight and powerful muscle lines in the hit "The First Part of the Gods" has quickly become popular, and many friends exclaimed that it is so handsome! Recently, the topic #It is important to keep muscles if you want to live a long life# has become a hot search on Weibo, sparking heated discussions among netizens.

In fact, muscle is not only related to body shape, but also a key indicator of health, which can help reduce the risk of death to a certain extent. So, what are the benefits of "saving muscle"? How should we slow down the aging of muscles in our daily lives?
Today we will study together: Why is it important to "save muscle" if you want to live longer? Some little-known facts about muscles. How to prevent muscle aging?

01If you want to live longer, it is important to “save muscle”

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, a top journal in the field of sports science, found that:

Just 30-60 minutes per week (about 5-8 minutes per day) of muscle-strengthening exercise is enough to significantly reduce the risk of death .

Yang Yizhuo, a lecturer at the Capital Institute of Physical Education's Sports and Medical Integration Innovation Center, said in an article published in Healthy China in 2023 that, like human bone mass, muscle mass and strength also increase during late adolescence and early adulthood;

However, starting at age 50, muscle mass and strength will begin to decline significantly to a certain extent, and a decrease in muscle strength and function may also occur.

Muscles are the largest endocrine organs in the human body. When people exercise, muscles contract and can secrete various exercise factors that are beneficial to physical health, helping the body regulate blood lipids, blood sugar and other organ functions to a certain extent.

So what are the benefits of "saving muscle"?

1. Helps fight disease

A 2008 study published in the medical journal The Lancet showed that cancer patients with low muscle mass experienced more complications , longer hospital stays and lower survival rates .

Researchers believe that improving muscle mass through nutritional intervention can improve the treatment and prognosis of cancer patients to a certain extent.

2. Helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

Skeletal muscle mass is also associated with the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A 2019 study showed that people with the highest skeletal muscle mass in middle age had an 81% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (such as heart attack) compared to those with the lowest skeletal muscle mass.

3. Helps prevent fractures

Muscles, as the body's calcium store, can help store free calcium ions in the blood to a certain extent, so that the supplemented calcium can truly exist in the body and avoid the occurrence of osteoporosis .

4. Avoid obesity and maintain good health

"Saving muscle" can also save you money on losing weight .

Strength training is much more efficient in burning fat than aerobic exercise such as jogging.

In addition, the shape of the muscles trained will be relatively better, making the body more firm and shapely, making it easier to maintain the weight loss effect and less likely to rebound to a certain extent.

02 Cool facts about muscles

Regarding muscle science, I have compiled some practical little-known facts to share with you:

1. No muscle starts and ends on the same bone.

Muscles must cross joints (starting and ending at two bones ) to complete their functions. If the human skeleton is a lever and the joint is the central axis, then muscles are an important component that provides pulling force to allow the skeleton to rotate around the joint.

2. There are almost no two muscles with exactly the same shape.

It is almost impossible to find two muscles in the body that are exactly the same in shape . Even muscles that are completely symmetrical on the left and right are difficult to find.

Because the shape of each skeletal muscle will be shaped and grown according to its location in the body and its function. It will also change in shape according to the frequency of your use, the amount of work you do, your movement habits, etc.

3. " Building muscle " does not mean increasing the number of muscle fibers

Typically, "muscle building" does not mean increasing the number of muscle fibers, but rather increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​muscle cells , or activating more muscle fibers at the same time, thereby increasing the working efficiency of a motor unit .

03How to prevent muscle aging

Jiang Hua, chief physician of the Emergency Center of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, once published an article in Health Times stating that the prevention and slowing of muscle aging cannot be ignored.

To prevent muscle aging, it is recommended that you do the following:

1. Eat as much eggs, milk and soy products as possible

Protein is one of the most important raw materials for muscle synthesis.

Eat three meals well, and increase the intake of high-quality protein foods appropriately while avoiding excessive sugar, salt and fat.

The protein content and quality of animal foods are higher than those of plant foods;

It is recommended that the elderly can appropriately increase their intake of milk, eggs, lean meat, poultry, fish, shrimp and soy products according to their specific circumstances, and ensure sufficient staple foods , vegetables and fruits to achieve a balanced diet.

In addition, eating more foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, selenium, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids, such as kiwi, spinach, carrots, etc., in daily life can help prevent muscle attenuation .

2. It is recommended to adopt a combination of various exercise methods

When it comes to preventing sarcopenia, exercise is a comprehensive, highly individualized program that includes:

Strength training that appropriately increases muscle weight (also known as resistance exercise, such as various training for large muscle groups such as chest, shoulders, back, and legs using barbells, dumbbells, and other equipment);

Various exercises to improve muscle mass , flexibility and balance (such as various mat exercises);

Aerobic exercise (most commonly jogging or brisk walking for longer distances) that increases physical fitness and improves cardiopulmonary function.