- A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed women with breast cancer who had more muscle had a nearly 60 percent better chance of survival.3
- Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with more muscle spend less time on the ventilator -- as well as less time in the ICU -- and have a better chance of survival.4,5,6
- People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have more muscle experience better respiratory outcomes and lower occurrence of osteopenia or osteoporosis.7,8
- In the long-term care setting, a study found individuals with lower muscle mass had more severe Alzheimer's.9
MUSCLE UP FOR BETTER HEALTH For decades, healthcare professionals have relied on body mass index (BMI) to assess a person's health, mainly because it requires a simple calculation. But, this measurement can be misleading since it doesn't distinguish between muscle mass and fat mass. Low muscle mass can occur at any body weight, so someone who is normal weight may appear healthy, when they can in fact lack muscle. While there's potential for body composition tools -- which measure muscle mass -- to become more routinely used and available in healthcare settings, health professionals can use screening questionnaires and other simple methods to identify people at risk.
"Muscle may be skin deep, but it should be top of mind based on the growing body of science," said Suzette Pereira, Ph.D., research scientist at Abbott and one of the paper authors. "Something as simple as the firmness of a person's handshake can give a lot of insight into their overall health, and it's never too late to rebuild muscle with good nutrition, including protein, and proper exercise."
To learn more about the signs of muscle loss and get tips for regaining strength, visit Abbott's Nutrition Newsroom.
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