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Strong-arm tactics prolong a man’s life
Older men with big biceps and a lean waist tend to live longer, according to UK researchers
Scientists at the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London looked at over 4,000 men aged between 60 and 79 over a six-year period. The team set out to discover what body types were linked to high mortality. The researchers found that over the six years, men with big bellies and small muscles had a 55 percent greater risk of dying than their leaner, stronger counterparts.
The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that men with a waist of less than 102 cm (40 inches) and bigger than average biceps had the lowest risk of dying. Men with waists larger than 102 cm but with strong arms had a 36 percent greater risk of dying than those men with a thin middle and big biceps.
These findings could mean that doctors look again at the way we work out someone’s physical fitness. At the moment, it is usual to assess a person’s BMI (body mass index) which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. However the London team found that BMI was only linked to mortality in extremely thin men. For a more accurate picture they argue that it is important to measure waist size and muscle mass.
‘Carrying fat around the belly is a greater health risk than fat on other parts of the body, ‘ says Judy O’Sullivan, cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, ‘Excessive abdominal fat significantly increases your risk of heart disease. Watching your calorie intake alone is not enough – you need to combine a low-fat diet rich in fruit and vegetables with plenty of regular exercise.’
Many men do develop a pot belly in middle age and it is often seen as a sign of a maturing body. However, various studies have shown that carrying too much abdominal fat increases the risk of developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Researchers at Tel-Aviv University in Israel carried out a study of 9,000 men over the age of 40 who were free of cardiovascular disease and followed them over a 23-year period. They found that those with excessive abdominal fat were one and a half times more likely to have a stroke compared with subjects with the least amount.
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.