Key fitness measure is strong predictor of longevity after certain age, study finds

For women over 60, muscle strength plays a critical role in longevity, a new study confirms.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo, New York, followed more than 5,000 women between the ages of 63 and 99, finding that those with greater muscle strength had a significantly lower risk of death over an eight-year period.

The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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Muscle function was measured using grip strength and how quickly participants could complete five unassisted sit-to-stand chair raises. 

These are two tests commonly used in clinical settings to evaluate muscle function in older adults, the researchers noted.

“In a community cohort of ambulatory older women, muscular strength was associated with significantly lower mortality rates, even when we accounted for usual physical activity and sedentary time measured using a wearable monitor, gait speed and blood C-reactive protein levels,” study lead author Michael LaMonte, research professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the University at Buffalo, told Fox News Digital.

“Movement is the key — just move more and sit less.”

Many earlier studies did not include those objective measurements, making it difficult to determine whether muscle strength itself was linked to longevity, according to LaMonte. “Our study was able to better isolate the association between strength and death in later life,” he added.

Even for women who don’t get the recommended amount of aerobic physical activity, which is at least 150 minutes per week, muscle strength remained important for longevity, the researchers found.

“The findings of lower mortality in those who had higher strength but were not meeting current national guidelines on aerobic activity were somewhat intriguing,” LaMonte said.

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Federal guidelines recommend strengthening activities one to two days per week, targeting major muscle groups.

Resistance training does not have to require a gym membership, LaMonte noted. These exercises can be performed using free weights, resistance bands, bodyweight movements or even household items, such as soup cans.

“Movement is the key — just move more and sit less,” he said. “When we can no longer get out of the chair and move around, we are in trouble.”

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LaMonte acknowledged several limitations of the study. The researchers assessed muscle strength in older age, but did not explore how earlier levels in adulthood might influence long-term health outcomes.

“We were not able to understand how strength and mortality relate in younger ages,” he said, noting that future research should explore whether building strength earlier could have an even greater impact on longevity.