A cross-sectional study involving 1,000 elderly Japanese men and women reports that exercising in middle age is a protective factor against sarcopenia (age-related muscle weakness), and effective in maintaining muscle strength and physical performance as one ages. Among the study subjects, who were enrolled in the Research on Osteoarthritis/Osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD) Study, the Tokyo University investigators observed that sarcopenia was prevalent in 13.8% of men and 12.4% in the women, and tended to be significantly higher with increasing age in both sexes. Exercise in middle age correlated with a lower prevalence of sarcopenia in older age, and was significantly associated with grip strength, gait speed, and one-leg standing time. The study authors report that: “This cross-sectional study suggests that exercise habit in middle age is a protective factor against sarcopenia in older age and effective in maintaining muscle strength and physical performance in older age.”
