Got some muscle strength? Good news, you may live longer with less risk of age-related illnesses

A comprehensive study by a Finland-based university has found that higher muscle strength is linked to a longer lifespan and a lower risk of developing age-related diseases and disabilities. But notably, age-related loss of muscle strength is individual and is related not just to lifestyle but also genetics.

The genome and health data of more than 340,000 Finnish citizens was used in the research, making it the most comprehensive international study on the subject.

Which muscle strength are we talking about?

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Muscle strength, such as hand grip strength, can indicate a person's ability to be protected against age-related illnesses as well as the body's ability to cope with them.

The study said that persons with a genetic predisposition for higher muscle strength have a slightly lower risk for common non-communicable diseases and premature mortality. The study, however, does not predict better survival after acute adverse health events compared to the time before the start of an illness.

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"It seems that a genetic predisposition for higher muscle strength reflects more on an individual's intrinsic ability to resist and protect oneself against pathological changes that occur during ageing than the ability to recover or completely bounce back after severe adversity," doctoral researcher Päivi Herranen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at University of Jyväskylä said in a statement.

Factors affecting muscle strength

Muscle strength is not only influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors but also by numerous genetic variants, each with a very small effect on muscle strength.

"In this study, we were able to utilise both genetic information and health outcomes from over 340,000 Finnish men and women," Herranen explained.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the association between a genetic predisposition for muscle strength and various diseases on this scale."

Further research on the effects of lifestyles is still needed.

About the study

The participants were aged 40 to 108 years, and 53 per centof them were women.

The diagnoses selected for the study were based on the leading causes of deathin Finland.

Selected diagnoses included the most common cardiometabolic and pulmonary diseases, musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, falls and fractures, mental health and cognitive disorders, cancers, as well as overall mortality and mortality from cardiovascular diseases.