Muscle Mass, Strength & Mortality

Muscle Strength is more important than muscle mass in determining ones mortality.

A recent study looked at how muscle mass (the amount of muscle you have) and muscle strength (how much force your muscles can produce) are connected to the risk of dying in older adults in the United States. Researchers followed more than 4,400 adults over the age of 50 and tracked them for about 10 years. They wanted to see whether having less muscle mass, less muscle strength, or both together was linked to a higher chance of death from any cause.

The study measured muscle mass using a scan that looked at lean tissue in the arms and legs, which gives a good picture of overall muscle levels. To define “low muscle mass,” they used two approaches: the raw lean mass itself, and lean mass adjusted for body size (by dividing by body mass index). For muscle strength, they measured the power of the thigh muscles (knee extension strength) and considered those in the lowest group to have “low strength.”

When the researchers looked at the results, they found that low strength was a much stronger warning sign of early death than low muscle mass alone. In fact, older adults who had weak muscles were more likely to die during the follow-up period—even if their actual muscle mass wasn’t low. Those with both low strength and low muscle mass were at the highest risk, but surprisingly, even people who still had “normal” amounts of muscle mass faced higher mortality risk if their strength was poor.

This means that simply having bigger muscles or more muscle tissue is not enough—what really matters is how well those muscles work. The link between low strength and higher death risk stayed strong even after accounting for things like physical activity levels, time spent sitting, smoking, weight, chronic diseases, and other health factors. In other words, weak muscles were a risk factor on their own, no matter what else was going on with someone’s health or lifestyle.

The big takeaway is that muscle strength is more important for long-term health and survival than muscle size alone. For older adults, this suggests that focusing on activities that build or preserve strength—like resistance training, weightlifting, bodyweight exercises, and even functional activities such as climbing stairs or carrying groceries—can play a major role in healthy aging. While having good muscle mass is still valuable, strength appears to be the key factor tied to living longer

This post is written in collaboration with The Longevity Zone, a local wellness and health-community platform based in the Farmington Valley area in Connecticut. http://www.thelongevity.zone

Its mission is to help people live healthier, happier, and longer lives through a holistic approach—focusing not just on physical health, but also mental/emotional wellbeing and connection to community.

Your Health, Your Life, Your Longevity Zone…  Join the community today! https://thelongevity.zone/membership-levels/

Dr. Brian A. Magna,

Brian@thelongevity.zone