Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.
Image by BONNINSTUDIO / Stocksy
July 21, 2023
It’s easy to get caught up in the aesthetic motivations to exercise, be it to lose weight or tone your muscles for visual effect. But the benefits of muscle mass span far beyond what meets the eye. In fact, new research shows that building lean muscle could even help extend your cognitive longevity. Here’s what to know.
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Higher lean muscle mass linked with lower risk of Alzheimer’s
A recent study published in BMJ Medicine found that individuals with lifelong higher lean muscle mass had a 12% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and higher cognitive performance on average.
For this study, researchers evaluated genetic data from 450,253 participants via the UK Biobank (a large-scale database with genetic and health information) to measure lean muscle mass and fat mass. For reference, lean mass is the quantity left when you subtract fat mass from overall body mass—so it includes bone and fluid weight as well.
A total of 21,982 people with Alzheimer’s and 41,944 without were included in the independent sample. In a replication sample to confirm findings, 7,329 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 252,879 people without it participated.
After reviewing the data, researchers concluded lean mass was positively associated with better cognitive performance and lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
These findings suggest that lean muscle mass might be a protective factor against cognitive decline. However, further research is needed to investigate the underlying cause of this association.
While previous research studies linked obesity with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s1, this finding stands out as another piece of the puzzle beyond clinical obesity. In the study summary, researchers present a few ideas as to why muscle mass might have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s: For one, having more muscle could help improve certain dementia risk factors like insulin resistance and blood pressure. Certain myokines (proteins that are secreted in response to muscular contractions) could also have a neuroprotective effect2, they note.
It’s important to remember that the naked eye cannot evaluate lean muscle mass—two people could look and weigh the same with completely different lean muscle mass measurements. It’s all about what’s inside.
And the good news is that while you may be born with a certain amount of lean muscle, it’s never too late to build more using muscle-centric nutrition, lifestyle, and exercise practices.
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How to support your muscle mass and brain health
Let’s be clear: You don’t have to spend hours lifting weights every day to increase muscle mass. In fact, there are many low-lift factors (pun intended) at play here. Below, some tips to take with you.
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Along with these muscle-supporting tips, you can support healthy cognition by stimulating your brain as you age. Do this by signing up for new hobbies, playing light sports, engaging in brain games or exercises, taking a class you’re interested in, or simply socializing more often—research shows this helps to prevent cognitive decline6.
Make sure you focus on consuming brain-supporting foods as well. A few of the best include kefir, lentils, cashews, berries, microgreens, and sprouts. If you want to go the extra mile, consider taking a brain longevity supplement for additional support—here’s a list of some of the best memory supplements on the market right now.
The takeaway
New research links increased lean muscle mass to decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In order to support your muscle mass and your brain, prioritize strength training, consume a brain-healthy diet with plenty of protein, and engage in new activities to stimulate your brain. If you want to dive deeper into the nuances of cognitive health and body composition, check out this article.
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