“Recent studies suggested that muscle mass and muscle strength may independently or synergistically affect aging-related health outcomes in older adults; however, prospective data on mortality in the general population are sparse. We aimed to prospectively examine individual and joint associations of low muscle mass and low muscle strength with all-cause mortality in a nationally representative sample.”

“This study included 4449 participants age 50 years and older……”

“Overall, the prevalence of low muscle mass was 23.1%…..and the prevalence of low muscle strength was 19.4%.”

“…..all-cause mortality was significantly higher among individuals with low muscle strength, whether they had low muscle mass or not. In addition, the significant associations between low muscle strength and all-cause mortality persisted across different levels of metabolic syndrome….”

“Low muscle strength was independently associated with elevated risk of all-cause mortality, regardless of muscle mass, metabolic syndrome, sedentary time……among US older adults, indicating the importance of muscle strength in predicting aging-related health outcomes in older adults.”

R. Li, et al
Associations of Muscle Mass and Strength with All-Cause Mortality among US Older Adults
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise – Volume 50 #3 – March 2018 – page 458