If you love it when science confirms that your favorite things are actually good for you, here’s another winner to add to the list: A new study by orthopedic and physiological researchers has revealed that coffee can help maintain strong muscles (and therefore greater mobility) as you age.
With coffee being as popular as ever, it’s exciting that the beloved beverage has recently been linked to remarkable health effects such as improved liver health, weight loss and more. Keep reading to learn what the latest study found on coffee and muscle health, and do not miss This Is The Exact Age Your metabolism begins slowly, says new study.
The study examined the preservation of skeletal muscle.
A team of researchers in Japan set out to investigate a trend previously shown in animal studies: Coffee consumption prevents the development of sarcopenia, an aging-related condition in which muscle mass can naturally deteriorate.
In particular, the researchers wanted to see if regular coffee drinking had an effect skeleton- muscle. Of our three types of muscles, skeletal muscle plays important roles in mobility, as do posture, metabolism and more, according to an article co-authored by Matthew Varacallo, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Pennsylvania. (The other muscle types are heart muscle, which relates to heart function, and smooth muscle, which helps control many of the body’s involuntary contractions in processes such as digestion, blood flow, menstruation, and more.)
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The researchers measured coffee drinking, muscle mass and grip strength.
The researchers asked 6,369 participants between the ages of 45 and 74 to report how often they drank coffee. They then measured the participants’ skeletal muscle mass and handle strength using a bioelectrical tool and a spring metric unit.
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Coffee drinking and greater muscle mass were linked.
In fact, the researchers identified a “significant positive link” between regular coffee drinking and skeletal muscle mass.
Although they did not discover a significant the relationship between coffee and hand strength, they noted that among the male participants, coffee drink and grip strength were to some extent related.
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The study seemed to push down a theory.
At the beginning of the study, the researchers had assumed that if coffee actually affects muscle mass, it may be due to its role in reducing systemic inflammation. However, after measuring for inflammatory markers in the participants, the researchers did not actually find that this was the case.
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Staying active can play a role.
Make yourself stronger if you hold that coffee cup every day? Well, probably not much.
However, one factor that may partly explain the link between coffee consumption and muscle health is this: A Korean study recently noted that coffee consumption seemed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (as several other studies have found). Since we know that long-term heart health is also linked to staying active, the same physical activity may also help keep the muscles in healthy shape.
Another possible link is that new research has shown that drinking coffee before exercising can provide more productive exercise.
Continue reading:
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