To keep our muscles healthy as we age, we may need to start exercising more now, according to a study of octogenarian athletes.
The study, published recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology, saw researchers from McGill University in Canada and elsewhere track world-class track and field athletes who are now in their 80s.
They discovered substantial differences between the athletes’ muscles and those less active people.
The athletes’ legs were, on average, 25 per cent stronger than those of the control group. They also had about 14 per cent more total muscle mass, and their leg muscles were much healthier at a cellular level.
Until now, it wasn’t known if the decline in muscular health is inevitable or whether it might be slowed.
Related: Eating for healthy bones
