Muscles & movement
Strength training, protein and movement to stay strong and mobile.
143 answers, from 1,002 studies
Last updated: October 2026
Key questions
Does Japanese interval walking work better than ordinary walking?
Interval walking demonstrably delivers more than ordinary walking: better fitness, stronger legs and lower blood pressure, and…
Moderate evidence
What does tai chi do for healthy ageing?
Tai chi demonstrably helps older adults reduce falls and improve balance and walking ability. In mild cognitive decline, a…
Does qigong keep you fit as you get older?
Studies show that qigong helps older people with balance, muscle function, physical ability, and probably also thinking and…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Why do myostatin inhibitors produce bigger muscles but not extra strength?
Myostatin inhibitors demonstrably produce larger muscles, but in primates this does not translate proportionally into greater…
Which health interventions really have a big impact?
Exercise and stable housing for homeless people have the strongest evidence base; antidepressants demonstrably work for severe…
Moderate evidence
Which supplements are worthwhile after forty?
A few supplements have reasonably solid backing after forty: calcium plus vitamin D for bone protection, B vitamins and a…
Moderate evidence
Do you lose muscle through the menopause?
Yes, the menopause accelerates muscle loss, and postmenopausal women lose more muscle mass than men of the same age. Strength…
What is the best way to use creatine?
Creatine works best in combination with strength training: optionally start with a loading phase of 20 grams per day for 5…
Strong evidence
What does creatine monohydrate do for your health?
For strength and muscle mass during high-intensity training, creatine monohydrate (3 to 5 g per day) has the strongest…
Does eating a low-protein diet extend your life, or does that only apply to mice?
Eating less animal protein appears beneficial in middle age, but after the age of 65 getting enough protein is actually…
Moderate evidence
What are the benefits of combining sauna with an ice bath?
The combination of sauna and ice bath demonstrably lowers cortisol and promotes blood flow after exercise, but whether it…
Does an ice bath work as well for women as it does for men?
An ice bath cools men and women equally quickly in cases of heat stroke, but whether the effect on muscle recovery is equally…
Preliminary evidence
What is an ice bath good for?
An ice bath helps athletes after hard training: less muscle soreness, faster recovery of explosive power, and a reduced sense…
Is it better to take an ice bath before or after your workout?
The answer depends on your training goal: for fast recovery after intense sport or competitions, an ice bath after training is…
Moderate evidence
What should you look out for when buying electrolytes?
For endurance exercise lasting longer than an hour and a half, a drink containing sodium and carbohydrates is worthwhile; for…
Moderate evidence
How many grams of creatine per day is worthwhile?
For muscle strength and explosive performance, 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day has a clear effect; a loading…
Moderate evidence
How many steps per day lower your risk of dying?
More steps per day is strongly associated with a lower risk of dying, and the benefit starts at as few as 3,000 to 4,000…
Strong evidence
What is the sitting-rising test, and what does it say about your life expectancy?
A low SRT score is associated with a considerably higher risk of death, but that does not mean the score determines your fate.…
Do you live longer from playing tennis or squash?
For tennis there are indications of a substantial gain in life expectancy, but for squash the evidence is entirely absent. If…
Preliminary evidence
Is 75 minutes of exercise per week already enough?
75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week already delivers close to the maximum benefit for your lifespan. On top of that, make…
Yes · Strong evidence
How many extra years of life does regular walking provide?
Regular walking is associated with two to six extra years of life, with the greatest gain for people who currently barely…
Moderate evidence
How much longer do you live from fifteen minutes of exercise a day?
Just fifteen minutes of moderate exercise a day is associated with an average of 3 years of longer life expectancy. Doing more…
Does your balance on one leg say something about your life expectancy?
In people between the ages of 65 and 80, your balance on one leg does say something about your health risk, but it is a…
How much exercise per week lowers your risk of dying?
Even a quarter of an hour of exercise a day makes a measurable difference; the biggest gain comes from going from nothing to…
Strong evidence
Does intense exercise shortly before bedtime disrupt your sleep quality?
For most active people the advice is: allow a buffer of at least four hours between intense exercise and bedtime. If you are…
Moderate evidence
Does strength training make your bones stronger after the menopause?
Strength training likely makes bones stronger after the menopause, but the effect on bone density is limited in size and the…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does exercise help with Parkinson's disease?
Exercise demonstrably helps with Parkinson's disease: motor symptoms decrease and quality of life improves. Dance and aquatic…
Yes · Strong evidence
What works better against belly fat: cardio or strength training?
Cardio beats strength training when looking purely at belly fat, but the combination of both performs best. Opt for…
Strong evidence
What works better against belly fat: eating less or moving more?
Eating less has, on average, a slightly larger effect on belly fat than moving more, but the combination works best. Choose…
Strong evidence
Does green tea enhance the effect of exercise?
Green tea adds a small but measurable extra effect on top of exercise in terms of weight loss and inflammatory markers. For…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What factors influence your metabolism?
Muscle mass, abdominal fat, age, sex and the way you lose weight together determine how fast your metabolism runs. Building…
Does paracetamol help with muscle soreness?
Paracetamol probably does not relieve exercise-induced muscle soreness any better than a placebo, and there are indications…
No · Moderate evidence
Do you live longer by eating less protein, or more?
The ideal protein level differs by stage of life: in middle age less appears to be better, while after the age of 65 getting…
Moderate evidence
Is it better to take a cold bath before or after strength training?
Avoid taking a cold bath immediately AFTER strength training if muscle growth is your goal: it measurably inhibits muscle…
Moderate evidence
Does creatine help with weight loss?
Creatine is not a slimming aid and is not recommended for fat loss as a primary goal. If you combine it with strength…
No · Moderate evidence
How much Zone 2 training is right without overloading?
There is no hard universal formula for the right amount of Zone 2 training, but lactate as a control tool (target zone 2-4.5…
Preliminary evidence
What is urolithin A and does it work?
Urolithin A appears safe and has shown a modest effect on muscular endurance in some studies, but the hard endpoints fell just…
Moderate evidence
Do creatine gummies work just as well as creatine powder?
Creatine gummies have never been directly compared with creatine powder, and solid creatine forms are demonstrably absorbed…
No · Moderate evidence
Why do you still get muscle cramps despite taking magnesium?
Magnesium has no demonstrable effect against the most common muscle cramps, neither in older adults nor in athletes. If the…
What does an elevated creatine kinase (CK) level in your blood mean?
An elevated CK level is a signal of possible tissue damage, but the causes are wide-ranging and always require further…
Can peptides contribute to muscle growth or recovery in older adults?
Peptides, especially in combination with resistance training, can make a measurable contribution to muscle mass and strength…
Yes · Moderate evidence
How do you prevent sarcopenia at older age?
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of both muscle mass and muscle function and can be substantially slowed with resistance…
Moderate evidence
How do you prevent bone loss when losing weight at an older age?
Strength training while losing weight is the best protection against bone loss, but cannot prevent it entirely. Combine it…
Moderate evidence
Does a cold bath or ice bath benefit your health in the long term?
An ice bath after strength training demonstrably inhibits muscle growth, so if you want to build muscle it is better avoided.…
Moderate evidence
How much zone 2 training do you need per week?
There is no researched minimum for zone 2 in recreational athletes, but patterns in elite athletes show that low intensity…
Preliminary evidence
What does urolithin A do to your muscles and mitochondria?
Urolithin A shows positive effects on the health of your cells' energy factories and on muscle strength in small studies, but…
Do you lose muscle mass when losing weight with a GLP-1 medication?
With GLP-1 medications you do indeed lose muscle mass alongside fat, but you can largely limit this by combining resistance…
Moderate evidence
What does creatine do for people over sixty?
Creatine has reasonably well-supported benefits for people over sixty in the areas of muscle strength, muscle mass and memory,…
Does sitting all day increase your risk of heart problems?
Sitting a lot increases your risk of heart failure and heart-related mortality, even if you exercise regularly. Just 30…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does whole-body cryotherapy actually work for your health?
For specific applications, such as pain following knee surgery and possibly improved lipid levels, WBC shows small positive…
Preliminary evidence
Do you really need electrolyte supplements?
For most people who eat a normal diet, electrolyte supplements are not necessary. They are only useful during prolonged…
No · Moderate evidence
Do you really need to take 10,000 steps a day?
No, 10,000 steps is not a scientific standard but a marketing slogan. Depending on your age, you can gain substantial health…
No · Strong evidence
Does creatine work better with carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates probably increase the uptake of creatine into the muscle cell via insulin, but when compared against a placebo…
Moderate evidence
Do you need to do a loading phase with creatine?
A loading phase is not necessary, but it does speed up the build-up of creatine in your muscles. Choose a loading phase if you…
No · Moderate evidence
Is creatine monohydrate just as good as more expensive forms?
Creatine monohydrate works at least as well as more expensive alternatives and is the most thoroughly documented safe choice.…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Why is muscle strength so important for healthy ageing?
Muscle strength is one of the best-supported pillars of healthy ageing: losing it increases the risk of falls, disability and…
Does walking do enough to maintain your muscles?
Walking alone is not enough to maintain muscle as you age. Add strength training and ensure adequate protein intake for the…
No · Moderate evidence
Can you regain lost muscle mass in later life?
Yes, regaining lost muscle mass in later life is possible, but the earlier you start, the better the outcome. Resistance…
Yes · Strong evidence
How much muscle strength do you lose per year after the age of fifty?
After the age of fifty, you can quickly lose 3 to 4% of leg strength per year, far more than muscle mass alone would suggest.…
Why do bones break more easily as you get older?
With age, bones become both thinner and more fragile through a combination of hormonal changes, deteriorating bone structure…
Does strength training help against bone loss (osteoporosis)?
Strength training helps to increase or maintain bone density, but the effect is modest and a reduction in fractures has not…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Can you still build bone mass in your fifties?
After fifty, genuine bone building is probably no longer achievable, but you can substantially limit the loss. Combining…
No · Moderate evidence
Is moderate exercise good or bad for your immune system?
Moderate exercise (sessions up to 45 minutes) is good for your immune system and is associated with fewer infections. Only…
Moderate evidence
Can grip strength predict how long you live?
Grip strength is a remarkably strong predictor of longevity, stronger than blood pressure in some large studies. Whether…
Does physiotherapy really help if you already have osteoporosis?
Supervised exercise genuinely helps if you have osteoporosis: it slows bone loss, improves your balance and muscle strength,…
Yes · Strong evidence
What does your balance have to do with preventing bone fractures?
Poor balance increases the risk of falling and therefore of bone fractures; targeted balance training can reduce that risk by…
Does the amount of muscle mass you have affect your hormone balance?
More muscle mass improves your insulin sensitivity and is associated with more favourable hormone values after training, but…
Do male hormones affect how quickly men age?
Declining testosterone measurably accelerates ageing of muscles, bones and sexual function, but the links to mood and skin are…
What does too much sitting do to your biological clock?
Too much sitting demonstrably weakens your day-night rhythm, even after just one day. Moving more, and preferably in the…
Does vibration plate training really help against bone loss?
Vibration plate training helps against bone loss, particularly in the lower back and partly in the hip, but regular strength…
Yes · Strong evidence
What happens to your cells when you don't move enough?
Moving too little demonstrably disrupts how your cells handle sugar, signals and inflammatory processes. Even a small increase…
How quickly do you lose bone mass when you stop exercising?
Research shows that bone mass loss becomes measurable within a few months at weight-bearing sites such as the hip and spine…
Can intense exercise actually make you age faster?
Structurally overtraining can accelerate ageing processes, while regular moderate to intense exercise actually protects you.…
Preliminary evidence
Does physical inactivity accelerate skin ageing?
Physical inactivity probably accelerates the biological ageing of the skin, but mainly through metabolism rather than as a…
Preliminary evidence
Do you age faster if you have chronic pain?
Whether chronic pain makes you age faster depends strongly on the type of pain, the accompanying stress and depression, and…
Can cold showers make your cells healthier?
Cold showers do not demonstrably make your cells healthier: they actually hold back growth and recovery processes in muscle…
No · Moderate evidence
Does sitting a lot increase my risk of cancer, even if I exercise?
Sitting a lot increases your risk of certain cancers, even if you exercise. In addition to moving regularly, try to reduce…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does walking outside during the day help me sleep better at night?
A daily walk of around half an hour outside helps improve your sleep, as shown by a randomised study. The surroundings matter…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Can exercise really improve your hormone levels as you get older?
Yes, exercise demonstrably raises several hormone levels in people over 40. The strongest practical benefit lies in muscle…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Can exercise improve your gut microbiome?
Moderate regular exercise demonstrably improves your gut microbiome, but you need to keep exercising because the effect…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Can having too little body fat damage your bones?
Too little fat can damage your bones, but muscle mass and the location of fat matter at least as much. If you have concerns…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does strength training work better against high blood sugar than cardio?
Strength training appears to work better than cardio alone in people with diabetes and a normal weight, but in overweight…
Moderate evidence
Does cold showering or an ice bath speed up your metabolism?
Cold water clearly speeds up metabolism for as long as you are in it, but whether this produces any meaningful effect on…
Moderate evidence
How quickly can you change your biological age with exercise?
Regular moderate to vigorous exercise is associated with a biological age that comes out 1 to 3 years lower, and molecular…
Moderate evidence
Does muscle tissue burn more calories than fat, even at rest?
Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue, and strength training produces a measurable increase in resting…
What happens to your bones when you lie in bed for a long time?
Prolonged bed rest demonstrably leads to substantial bone loss, particularly in the hip, spine and heel bone. Recovery takes…
Is walking enough to slow down bone loss?
Walking helps a little with mild bone loss, but is probably not enough if you genuinely want to build or preserve bone density…
Moderate evidence
Does running protect your bones better than swimming?
Running clearly stimulates bone formation better than activities without impact loading, but a direct comparison with swimming…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Why do you gain weight more easily after 40?
After forty, your body burns fewer calories, mainly due to muscle loss and a lower resting metabolism. You therefore do not…
Is it bad for your brain if you don't get enough exercise for years on end?
Years of too little exercise is associated with a clearly elevated risk of memory problems and dementia. Moving more, even…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Are short bursts of movement better than one long walk?
For fitness and day-to-day blood sugar control it makes little difference whether you exercise in spread-out bouts or in one…
Moderate evidence
What does exercising right before bed do to my sleep?
Evening exercise does not harm your sleep in most cases, but intense training within one hour of bedtime can cause problems.…
Does the type of protein you eat matter for muscle building?
The type of protein matters per meal for muscle building, but over the long term with resistance training, the difference…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does strength training help against insulin resistance?
Strength training probably helps against insulin resistance, although the effect is most strongly demonstrated in combination…
Yes · Strong evidence
How much protein can your body use in a single meal?
Your body can use more than 20-25 grams of protein per meal, especially when that protein is combined with carbohydrates and…
Does extra protein help with losing weight without losing muscle?
Extra protein helps preserve muscle mass while losing weight, but works best in combination with strength training. Aim for…
Yes · Strong evidence
When is the best time to eat protein for your muscles?
Distribution throughout the day matters most: eat a portion of 20-40 g of protein every 3 to 4 hours, and the precise timing…
Do older adults need more protein than younger people?
Older adults likely need more protein than the standard guideline of 0.8 grams per kilogram suggests. As a healthy older…
Does exercise activate autophagy?
Exercise activates autophagy in muscle cells through well-described mechanisms, but most of the evidence comes from animal and…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does creatine help prevent muscle loss with GLP-1 medications like Ozempic?
Whether creatine genuinely helps preserve muscle during GLP-1 medication use is unknown, because it has never been directly…
Preliminary evidence
What is best not to combine with creatine?
Combining creatine with caffeine powder adds nothing to your performance and increases the risk of gastrointestinal…
Moderate evidence
Why don't doctors always recommend creatine?
Creatine monohydrate is well supported for strength sports and its safety profile in healthy adults is reassuring, but safety…
Does creatine speed up muscle recovery?
Creatine (3 to 5 grams per day) can probably speed up muscle recovery after intense training and improve strength and muscle…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does walking in greenery or nature benefit your health?
Walking in green spaces or living near them shows clear signs of a positive effect, particularly on stress and physical…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What is AMPK and how do you activate it (through fasting or exercise)?
Both fasting and intense exercise reliably activate AMPK, with high exercise intensity producing the strongest effect. If you…
Moderate evidence
Why is it harder for me to lose weight than it used to be?
Ageing lowers your energy expenditure through muscle loss and a slower metabolism, making weight loss objectively harder.…
Does my metabolism really slow down as I get older?
Your metabolism does not slow down from your thirties onward, but after your sixties energy expenditure does decline…
Can adults still build bone mass, or only maintain it?
As an adult you can still build bone mass, although the gains are more modest than in earlier life. Strength training, at…
Yes · Moderate evidence
How much rest do my muscles need between workouts as I get older?
Getting older does not call for more rest, but for more regular training: at least two resistance-training sessions per week,…
Moderate evidence
Is strength training still safe and worthwhile after the age of 70?
Strength training after 70 is both safe and worthwhile: the evidence for greater muscle strength and reduced fall risk is…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does stretching actually do anything, or is it a waste of time?
Stretching demonstrably improves flexibility, and 10 minutes per week is already enough for the maximum effect. For preventing…
Strong evidence
Does running cause osteoarthritis?
Recreational running probably does not cause osteoarthritis and is actually associated with less osteoarthritis than a…
No · Moderate evidence
Is walking enough, or do I really need to do strength training too?
Walking is good, but strength training adds something walking cannot: preserving muscle mass, strengthening bones and keeping…
Strong evidence
Does urolithin A from pomegranate do anything for your muscles and energy?
Urolithin A has the strongest evidence for improving muscular endurance in older adults and muscle strength in middle-aged…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does regular exercise help against that creeping chronic inflammation?
Regular, moderate exercise demonstrably lowers inflammatory markers such as CRP and IL-6; training too intensely can reverse…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What are mitochondria, and can you make them younger or more energetic?
Exercise is the only demonstrably effective way to improve mitochondria; for supplements such as NMN or urolithin A, the…
Strong evidence
Does heading in football increase your risk of dementia?
Professional footballers who head the ball frequently have a considerably higher risk of dementia than goalkeepers or people…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does my walking speed say anything about how fast I am ageing?
Yes, your walking speed says something about how your body is ageing. People who walk slower than 0.8 to 1.0 metres per second…
Which type of training has the best-proven track record against bone loss in later life?
High-intensity resistance training (at least 70-85% of maximum load, two to three times per week, for at least eight to twelve…
Strong evidence
Does exercise help your immune system as you age?
Regular, moderate exercise helps your immune system by reducing smouldering inflammation. Suddenly training very hard without…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Which lifestyle factors influence your biological age the most?
Sitting for prolonged periods, a disrupted circadian rhythm and muscle loss are the best-supported negative factors for your…
Moderate evidence
What does your VO2max say about how fast you are ageing?
A higher VO2max is strongly associated with lower mortality and a more favourable biological age, but is more of a gauge of…
What is the best training to prevent muscle loss after age 60?
Strength training, combined with adequate protein intake, is the best-supported strategy against muscle loss after age 60. If…
Strong evidence
Does climbing stairs actually do anything for my heart?
Yes, climbing stairs genuinely does something for your heart. Climbing roughly 50 to 100 steps a day is associated with fewer…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Is it better to exercise in the morning or in the evening?
For fat reduction and improved blood fat levels, morning exercise has the strongest evidence. For heart and blood vessel…
Moderate evidence
How quickly do I lose fitness if I stop exercising for a while?
Your aerobic endurance declines quickly: a measurable difference is already present after 10 days. If you maintain your…
Does yoga or pilates help with pain and ageing?
Yoga and pilates both reduce pain in chronic lower back pain, comparably to or better than conventional rehabilitation. If you…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does creatine also help ordinary people, not just athletes?
Creatine is not just for athletes. Combined with strength training, it helps older adults gain more muscle strength, and…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does strength training help with healthy ageing?
Strength training is one of the best-supported interventions for healthy ageing: training two to three times per week with…
Yes · Strong evidence
How often and how heavy should I strength train?
Start with 2 to 3 training days per week, sets of 8 to 12 repetitions close to your maximum, and increase the weight as soon…
Moderate evidence
How do I know if I am losing too much muscle mass (sarcopenia)?
A calf circumference below 33 cm or a slow walking speed are good reasons to ask your GP about a grip strength test and muscle…
How much exercise do I need to live longer?
The biggest health leap comes from just a little exercise. Going from nothing to 150 minutes per week gives a 31% lower chance…
Moderate evidence
How much protein do I need to maintain my muscle mass?
For most healthy adults who want to maintain their muscle mass, 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per…
Is sitting a lot harmful, even if I exercise enough?
If you meet the exercise guideline, that largely neutralises the risk of prolonged sitting. If you do not meet it, every…
Strong evidence
What is VO2max and how important is it for living longer?
A higher VO2max is strongly associated with a longer life, though exercise itself is probably at least as important as the…
Does balance training help prevent falls in later life?
Supervised balance and resistance training or group tai chi lasting at least three months are the best choice if you want to…
Yes · Strong evidence
Can you exercise too much?
Training too much without sufficient recovery can lead to overtraining syndrome, with demonstrable harm to your performance,…
Yes · Moderate evidence
How much cardio do I really need per week?
For a healthy adult, 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week is the well-supported minimum, supplemented by two…
Strong evidence
Stronger bones and strength training: does it help?
Strength training measurably improves bone density, although the effect remains modest. For the strongest results,…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does my grip strength say anything about how long I will live?
Low grip strength is associated in large-scale research with a noticeably higher risk of premature death, though muscle power…
How many steps should I take per day?
More steps are better for your health, but even 2,500 steps per day already yields measurable benefit. Aim preferably for…
Strong evidence
What is zone 2 training?
Zone 2 training is light endurance exercise just below your first threshold, popular among (elite) endurance athletes, but for…
Does magnesium help with poor sleep and muscle cramps, and which form should you take?
Magnesium has no demonstrable benefit for ordinary muscle cramps, and for sleep problems the evidence is too weak to support a…
Preliminary evidence
Latest articles
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Urolithin A is a compound produced by gut bacteria from foods like pomegranate. It is already known as a supplement for…
1 min
Walking, stretching, sitting: three common beliefs about movement put to the test
Walking, stretching, sitting: three popular beliefs about everyday movement weighed against the evidence. What holds up, what…
3 min
Walking 3,000 steps a day may slow Alzheimer’s brain damage
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1 min
Gut bacteria and exercise together shape muscle aging
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1 min
Exercise restores muscle repair through one overactive gene
Muscles weaken with age. But the underlying reason has been elusive.
2 min
Blocking a microRNA restores muscle mass in aged mice
Muscle loss in later life is one of the most underestimated health problems. It increases the risk of falls, reduces…
1 min
Muscle strength starts declining at 35, study finds
You don’t need to be in your fifties to start losing muscle strength. A 47-year study shows the decline begins around age 35,…
1 min
Low cardiolipin levels drive muscle decline in mice
Cardiolipin is a fat molecule essential to the energy-generating structures inside muscle cells.
1 min
Exercise slows cell aging in breast cancer survivors
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2 min
HIIT preserves muscle mass in older adults
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2 min
Fat inside muscles may measure how fast you age
You can see aging in your muscles. Not just in how much muscle you have, but in how much fat has crept in between the fibers.
2 min
A fat molecule in muscles drives aging
Aging muscles do not only grow weaker: they also change their type. New research points to a fat molecule inside mitochondria…
1 min
Exercise slows ovarian aging via fat-tissue hormone
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2 min
Creatine shields muscle mass even without exercise
Losing muscle while gaining fat is a common problem in middle age. A new study suggests a simple supplement may help, even…
2 min
Grip strength tests gene therapy for aging
Your hand grip strength reveals more about your health than most people realize. Now it is being used to measure something…
2 min
Movement span: how long can you move freely?
How long you live is one thing. How long you live healthily is another.
2 min
Vascular muscle turns into plaque fuel
Atherosclerosis grows partly through a surprising mechanism. Smooth muscle cells in the vessel wall change their identity and…
2 min
Liver failure to clear lactate drives muscle loss in aging
Age-related muscle loss is usually blamed on inactivity or poor diet.
2 min
Bones after menopause: 5 ways to prevent fractures
Bone loss after menopause can be slowed significantly. Here are the 5 best proven measures against fractures – and what wastes…
3 min
Keep your memory sharp: 5 things that actually make a difference
Which lifestyle choices keep your memory sharp after 50? Exercise, sleep, diet and cognitive training: here is what the…
3 min
New drug cuts muscle loss in spinal muscle disease
A newly approved drug is the first to directly target the mechanism behind muscle wasting in spinal muscular atrophy. And the…
1 min
A leaky calcium signal drives age-related muscle loss
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2 min
What the best-known longevity influencers recommend and what they experiment with
The five best-known longevity influencers run ahead of the science on themselves. Nowhere do they recommend anything with a…
5 min
Mass prescribing GLP-1 drugs has unintended consequences
GLP-1 medications are spreading fast. But when millions of people take them long-term, unexpected effects emerge that science…
1 min
Some aging diseases may be biologically unavoidable
Eat well, exercise, manage stress. We know the advice. But what if some diseases of old age are unavoidable no matter how well…
1 min
A fat cell protein promotes muscle growth in aging rats
Muscle loss with age is one of the most concrete consequences of growing older. A substance that stimulates muscle growth…
1 min
How your metabolism changes after 40, and what you can actually do about it
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3 min
Lifestyle program keeps frail older adults mobile longer
Growing old with multiple diseases at once is the norm, not the exception. A large European trial tested whether an intensive…
1 min
Rebuilding muscle after 60: what works and what doesn't
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3 min
Exercise cuts a gut metabolite that harms bones
Regular exercise is known to protect bones. But new research reveals a specific biochemical link: physical activity lowers a…
1 min
Disrupted body clock accelerates muscle loss with age
Losing muscle mass is one of the most underestimated consequences of aging.
2 min
Disrupted body clocks may drive age-related muscle loss
There are still no approved drugs for sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. A new analysis suggests a…
1 min
Exercise protects bones through gut bacteria
Exercise is good for your bones. That much has long been established. But the precise mechanism remained unclear.
2 min
Implanted muscle tissue boosts metabolism in aged mice
What if you could slow aging by placing a small piece of muscle tissue under the skin? Researchers did exactly that in mice…
1 min
Short intense exercise triggers the widest signal wave
A few minutes of all-out cycling sets more biological processes in motion than ninety minutes of steady moderate pedalling.
2 min
Implanted muscle tissue mimics exercise in aged mice
Scientists have developed a technique in which a small piece of muscle tissue is implanted under the skin.
1 min
One molecule explains why exercise works less with age
Ageing muscles respond less to exercise. But a single signalling molecule appears to explain much of that difference. When it…
1 min
Why tendons heal slower with age: cause identified
Tendon injuries become more common as people age, and recovery takes longer. New research in rats maps out why, and points to…
2 min
Bone drug extends life in fast-aging mice
A drug already used against bone loss turns out to also extend lifespan and improve muscle strength in mice with accelerated…
2 min
Retatrutide vs semaglutide: what sets the newest weight-loss drugs apart
Retatrutide vs semaglutide: what do we know about efficacy, side effects and muscle loss with the newest weight-loss drugs? A…
2 min
Heart vessels rebuild themselves after a heart attack
After a heart attack, part of the heart muscle is permanently damaged. But the heart has its own repair strategy, one that…
2 min
Eating less protein for longevity: experts push back
Researchers recently suggested that reducing protein intake promotes longevity. Nutrition experts are skeptical. For older…
2 min
A heart muscle disease starts while the heart is at rest
In an inherited form of heart muscle thickening, something already goes wrong when the heart is simply at rest. That changes…
2 min
Muscle disease patients outlive the general population by five years
People with a rare muscle disease live an average of five years longer than the general population. That sounds paradoxical:…
2 min
What actually strengthens your immune system after 50, backed by science
After 50, your immune system starts to lose ground, but you have more influence over the process than you might think. Here…
4 min
Exercise slows down ovarian aging
Women who are more physically active reach menopause later in life. A study of more than 150,000 participants suggests the…
2 min
Muscles send protective signals to the Parkinson brain
Why does exercise help people with Parkinson’s disease? It turns out muscles don’t just generate movement. They also send…
2 min
Midlife exercise protects the brain decades later
Regular physical activity in your forties and fifties may keep your brain sharper in old age. So does stable blood sugar.
1 min
Meal timing preserves muscle in aging mice
Could simply shifting when you eat help keep your muscles stronger as you age?
2 min
Muscle stem cell protein drives repair in aging muscle
Muscles gradually lose their ability to repair themselves with age. A new study identifies a protein that drives this repair…
1 min
A brain circuit grows stronger during opioid abstinence
Why do people relapse after weeks or months without drugs? New research in rats identifies a specific brain connection that…
1 min
Muscle and bone loss in aging share molecular roots
Growing older often means losing both muscle mass and bone density. For a long time these two processes were studied…
1 min
Muscle protein brakes growth via mTOR pathway
Muscles do not just grow through exercise. There is a built-in brake on muscle growth, and researchers have now clarified how…
1 min
How to steer your hormones after 40
Hormones help drive ageing, but you are not entirely at their mercy. Here is what the evidence really says about lifestyle…
3 min
What actually makes your gut healthier, and what doesn't
Which food choices can genuinely strengthen your gut flora? Fibre plays the starring role, but fermented foods and cutting out…
3 min
Walking, bone broth, calcium: what actually works against bone loss?
Walking, bone broth and calcium are all popular weapons against bone loss, but which ones really deliver? A careful look at…
4 min
Muscle weakness in aging starts at the nerve-muscle junction
Older people lose muscle strength, but the problem does not always begin inside the muscle itself.
2 min
Exercise may not protect the ageing brain, big study finds
Physical activity is widely considered one of the best things you can do for your brain.
1 min
Cancer signal both feeds tumors and boosts immunity
A signaling pathway that helps breast cancer grow also strengthens the immune response against the tumor. That paradoxical…
1 min
For a longer life, move more than guidelines say
Official physical activity guidelines are designed to prevent disease. But is that enough to grow old and stay healthy? A new…
2 min
Muscle and bone loss share deeper biology
Muscle loss and bone loss are often treated as separate problems. Yet they go hand in hand.
2 min
Some muscle aging happens even in fit people
Exercise slows many aspects of muscle aging. But a new study shows that some molecular changes in muscle tissue occur…
2 min
Lifestyle slows biological aging on the clock
Twelve weeks of exercise, dietary guidance and probiotic yogurt, and a biological aging clock moved. Can a simple lifestyle…
2 min
Sensory nerves drive cancer-related muscle loss
Cancer patients often lose muscle and body weight rapidly, even when they are eating.
1 min
Late-life gene therapy extends mouse lifespan by 20 percent
A single injection of a gene therapy targeting muscle tissue extended the median lifespan of male mice by twenty percent.…
1 min
Trained muscles age differently at the molecular level
People who exercise regularly have muscle cells that look molecularly younger, even in old age.
1 min
Exercise slows brain aging through mitochondria
Regular exercise keeps the brain healthy for longer. But how exactly does that work? New research turns the spotlight on the…
2 min
One protein blocks muscle growth with age
Older adults who exercise build less muscle than younger people following the same programme. New research points to a…
2 min
DNA tags reveal how aging differs across body tissues
Your skin ages differently from your liver. Your muscle tissue follows a different pattern than your brain. But there are also…
2 min
Exercise slows immune ageing via multiple pathways
Your immune system ages. It becomes slower, chronically inflamed, and less effective at fighting infection and cancer.
1 min
Brain connectivity map predicts muscle strength in old age
How strong your grip is may reflect how your brain is wired. Researchers found that specific patterns of brain activity…
2 min
Antioxidants selectively clear aged muscle cells
Antioxidants are known for protecting cells. But new research shows they can also eliminate senescent cells under certain…
2 min
A longevity drug that mimics exercise effects
Exercise is good for you. Everyone knows that. But what if a pill could replicate its biological effects? That is exactly what…
2 min
GLP-1 drugs: who wins the market race?
Wegovy and Zepbound currently dominate the weight loss drug market. But Pfizer, Amgen and others are positioning themselves to…
1 min
Damaged mitochondria fuel aging inflammation
The chronic low-grade inflammation that comes with old age has long been linked to dementia, heart problems and muscle loss.
2 min
Hibernators reveal how muscles survive months of rest
A bear lies motionless for months and emerges in good physical shape. How that works is one of the questions that fascinate…
2 min
Which supplements actually help older adults?
Supplements are marketed to older adults as a shortcut to better health. But for people without a specific deficiency, most of…
1 min
Severe obesity reshapes the heart’s muscle proteins
In severe obesity, the heart works differently at the molecular level. A study in Science now shows exactly what changes…
1 min
Why exercise stress actually protects your cells
Exercise damages your cells. But that damage is precisely what makes you healthier. A protein called HMGB1 appears to be the…
2 min
Kidney decline and frailty form a feedback loop
Organs do not age in isolation. As kidney function drops, the rest of the body follows. New research maps how renal decline…
2 min
The exercise guidelines may be far too low
The standard advice of 150 minutes of exercise per week may be seriously undershooting the mark.
2 min
Stretchable sensor tracks body signals without breaking
A new material can measure electrochemical signals from living tissue while stretching with the skin or muscle beneath it.…
1 min
China trains physicians in longevity medicine
China has launched its first national training programme for physicians in longevity medicine.
2 min
Ultrasound reshapes gut bacteria to aid muscles
Sound waves directed at the abdomen seem like an unlikely tool for improving muscle function.
1 min
Sirtuin 1 links exercise to metabolic benefits
Exercise improves metabolism in dozens of ways, but pinpointing which molecule causes which benefit is genuinely hard.
2 min
One protein made aging mice stronger
Older mice with elevated levels of a single protein grew stronger, more energetic, and had healthier bones. Their untreated…
2 min
Microtubule dynamics direct heart cell growth
Heart muscle cells are elongated for a reason: shape drives function. How cells maintain that shape during growth was poorly…
2 min
GLP-1 drugs cause no extra muscle loss
Critics have warned that GLP-1 drugs strip away more muscle than ordinary dieting. A new study puts that concern in perspective.
2 min
Aging muscle stem cells lose glutamine metabolism
Muscle stem cells in older animals struggle to activate. A new study pinpoints the reason: a specific metabolic pathway fueled…
2 min
Fitness leaves epigenetic clocks nearly unchanged
People in excellent physical condition score almost identically to sedentary peers on most mainstream epigenetic aging clocks.…
2 min
Weightlessness accelerates aging like a fast-forward
Scientists studying aging face one persistent obstacle: it takes a long time for animals to grow old. An unlikely solution is…
1 min
Celastrol mimics exercise effects in aging mice
A compound from traditional herbal medicine activates pathways in mice that closely resemble the biological effects of…
2 min
Microgravity mirrors aging patterns in the body
Astronauts returning from space look as though they have aged by years. That is not coincidence.
2 min
Creatine works better when you pair it with the right kind of exercise, especially if you’re older
Creatine is usually thought of as a supplement for young athletes.
2 min
Light therapy may repair the nerve-muscle connections that quietly break down as we age
Muscle loss in older age isn’t just about inactivity or poor diet.
2 min
Your aging muscle stem cells aren’t worn out, they’re being held back
Age-related muscle loss has long been blamed on stem cells that simply wear out over time.
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Reprogramming Heart Cells Could Limit the Damage of a Heart Attack
Heart muscle cannot grow back after a heart attack. The dead tissue becomes scar tissue, and that scar gradually undermines…
2 min
The gut bacteria that may decide how active older people stay
Older adults who exercise regularly have measurably different gut bacteria than those who don’t.
2 min
How gut bacteria shape whether older people stay active
Older people who move more have a measurably different gut microbiome than those who rarely get off the couch. But which way…
2 min
Rapamycin may blunt the benefits of exercise in older people
Rapamycin is widely considered the leading drug candidate for slowing aging, but a new study suggests it may undercut the…
2 min
Intermittent fasting reshapes the liver, brain and muscles
Periodic fasting has been promoted for years as a powerful way to improve metabolism. But how the body actually responds…
2 min
Blocking a hunger hormone’s receptor builds stronger muscles in old age, in mice
Ghrelin is best known as the hormone that makes you hungry. Less well known is that it also appears to undermine muscle health…
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We know exercise is healthy, but proving it causes better health is surprisingly hard
Everyone knows that fit people live longer and get sick less often.
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A single sauna session triggers an immune response similar to exercise
Sitting still in intense heat turns out to do something the body normally reserves for physical exertion.
2 min
Blocking a hunger hormone receptor makes aging muscles stronger
As people age, they steadily lose muscle mass, and a hormone best known for triggering hunger may be making things worse.
2 min
Fish that keep themselves warm are in trouble as oceans heat up
A small group of fish, including tuna and swordfish, can keep their muscles warmer than the surrounding water. In warming…
2 min
A gene therapy is teaching the heart to repair itself after a heart attack
When a heart attack strikes, heart muscle dies, and it doesn’t grow back.
2 min
NAD+ combination treatment restores muscle and bone in old mice
Topping up a single supplement helps a little. But what if you also stopped the leaking?
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NAD+ combination treatment restores muscle and bone in old mice
Topping up one supplement helps a little. But what if you also plug the leak at the same time? Researchers put that…
2 min
Well-fed, inactive penguins age faster. That’s a warning for all of us
King penguins moved from the wild to a zoo get all the food they want and never have to work for it.
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Astronauts age faster in space - and that's good news for the rest of us
Microgravity wastes muscle, radiation damages DNA, and the immune system goes haywire. A few months in space does to the human…
2 min
Stem Cell Therapy for Age-Related Frailty: Promising Early Signals, Many Open Questions
Frailty in older adults, the combination of muscle loss, fatigue, and heightened vulnerability, has no effective treatment.
1 min
Stem Cell Therapy for Age-Related Frailty: Cautious Optimism as New Data Emerge
Frailty in older adults: the combination of muscle loss, fatigue and heightened vulnerability, still has no effective treatment.
2 min
Muscle stem cells are losing their edge, and a protein called MG53 may be to blame
Almost everyone loses muscle mass and strength with age. That is not simply a matter of moving less; deep inside muscle…
2 min
Myostatin mutations in humans: more muscle, less fat, no downsides
If you think gaining more muscle always comes at a cost somewhere else, think again.
2 min
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