2023-06-27 15:06:50
Working the muscles in youth becomes an aesthetic goal to be able to show off a sculpted body, but, beyond the appearance of having defined muscles, keeping this tissue in optimal condition is also a matter of health, since, One of the problems associated with aging is the loss of muscle mass and strength.
Over the years, the muscles weaken and the risk of falls increases or we have to lean on the arms of a chair to get up. A weak musculature reduces the person’s quality of life and youth, accelerates aging and also favors weight gain because muscle is the most metabolically active tissue and, when lost, we burn fewer calories.
People need to be in the sun to get vitamin D. (Photo: Adobe Stock)
But it is possible to stop and even reverse the loss of muscle strength and it is not enough to eat a healthy diet and exercise, but you have to make sure you have adequate levels of vitamin D, a vitamin that is synthesized with sun exposure.
A study from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil and University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom showed that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of dinapenia in older people by 78%, while experts from Harvard University highlighted the importance of this study and insisted on how fundamental it is to have adequate levels of vitamin D to preserve muscle.
How to preserve muscle strength that is lost with age
Loss of muscle strength is known as dynapenia and is not caused by any disease, but rather occurs due to aging, which, in some people, occurs earlier due to multiple factors (genetics, bad habits).
Muscle weakness marked by grip strength has been shown to be an indicator of general strength capacity and is associated with accelerated biological age. The weaker our grip strength, the higher our biological age.
To keep the muscles in shape, it is advisable to:
Follow a healthy diet with sufficient protein intake. Muscle destroys proteins that must be replenished through food. Perform strength exercises as they increase muscle mass. Have adequate levels of vitamin D. This new study shows that diet and exercise are probably not enough, since If vitamin D levels are deficient, the muscles will be affected.
Vitamin D and muscle strength
Vitamin D participates in several functions of the organism. It’s actually a hormone, and its many functions include helping to repair muscles and releasing calcium for proper muscle contraction, said Professor Tiago da Silva Alexandre, one of the study authors.
He also added that bone and muscle tissue are interconnected not only mechanically and physically but also biochemically. Endocrine disorders such as vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency can lead to loss of bone mineral density, as well as reduced muscle mass, strength, and function. “Therefore, it was expected that a lack of vitamin D would cause muscle abnormalities of some kind, and that is exactly what our study has shown,” he said.
To gain muscle strength, it is important to train. (Photo: Adobe Stock)
To test the importance of ideal vitamin levels for muscle strength, the researchers studied men and women over the age of 50. They analyzed their grip strength and concluded that people with vitamin D deficiency had a 70% higher risk of developing dynapenia at the end of the study, which evaluated a period of 4 years.
Also read The lack of Vitamin D could increase the chances of developing burnout syndrome
Meanwhile, the researchers indicated that the body only synthesizes vitamin D when large areas of skin are exposed to the sun. “People need to know that they risk losing muscle strength if they don’t get enough vitamin D. People need to be out in the sun, eat vitamin D-rich foods or take a supplement, and do resistance exercise to maintain muscle strength.” , concluded the specialist.
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