Heart surgeon explains why muscle is the secret to living longer, how strength training improves overall health

Heart surgeon Dr Jeremy emphasises the importance of maintaining muscle mass for easier daily living and longevity, explaining how it changes our physiology.

When you strength train at the gym, you are not only increasing your muscle mass or improving your bone health, according to Dr Jeremy London, MD (cardiothoracic surgeon), you are also unlocking the secret to longevity. The definition of longevity is living a longer and healthier life, and building muscle could be one of the main contributing factors.

Why is muscle so important for longevity?

In an Instagram video shared on June 17, Dr Jeremy explained why muscle is the organ of longevity. The heart surgeon said that as we age, both men and women, we lose muscle mass, and as we grow old, we try to avoid becoming frail, particularly with the risk of a potentially life-changing or devastating fall.

So, what happens when you start maintaining muscle mass? Per the heart surgeon, once you maintain muscle mass, you can do simple activities of daily living more easily. “Like getting down on the floor and getting up, getting out of a car, or climbing a flight of stairs with stability and coming down a flight of stairs with stability,” he said.

‘Muscle mass changes our physiology’

The heart surgeon further explained how building muscle mass also changes our physiology. “It is a sink for glucose in our bodies. We know that chronically elevated glucose levels lead to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, which is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. By maintaining muscle mass, we can actually decrease our all-cause mortality,” he explained.

But, how do we do this?

Dr Jeremy suggested starting by maintaining adequate protein in your diet for your individual goals. “You also want a quality resistance program,” he stressed.

As for staying consistent with your resistance training programme, he advised starting with something that you enjoy and avoiding injury while doing it. By following the simple, although not easy, tactics, you can increase the quantity and improve the quality of your life, he added.