Why does gaining muscle mass reduce the risk of dementia?

When the muscles in our body are activated they not only allow movement, but also act as a endocrine organ. During the muscle contraction some chemical substances are released with the capacity to influence our brain, the immune system and in metabolism. These are myokines, molecules known as “quasihormones” that, according to science, help reduce inflammation, protect cognitive function and reduce the risk of suffering from osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome or dementia.

In a context marked by the aging of the population and the increase in sedentary lifestyle, preserving muscle mass is emerging as an effective strategy to take care of general and brain health at any stage of life.

Isabel Vinageneral practitioner specializing in hormonal health and author of the podcast Your friends hormonesaddresses this question in his book Get your hormones going (Grijalbo). As she mentions to Infosalus, healthy muscle, when contracting, releases a series of key molecules that are not hormones, but “quasihormones”, as she calls them, known as myokines, and that act in a similar way to any hormone.

They occur during muscle contraction

Unlike classic hormones, Viña indicates that myokines are generated exclusively in the muscle during contraction. Like hormones, these are molecules that pass into the bloodstream and exert their action in distant organs and tissues, regulating functions of the metabolism, the immune system and the nervous system.

The specialist indicates that myocones are peptides and “other signaling molecules” with a very important role in the communication between the muscle and other body systems. “This makes a person with muscle mass reduce your mortality and your risk of dementia because our brain connects ideas better, presents a faster reaction response when you are going to fall, and that is why muscle mass is associated with a lower risk of falls and dementia; but also with a lower risk of osteoporosis, while producing anti-inflammatory molecules that reduce low-grade inflammation, present in pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune diseases, or cancer,” details the doctor.

All exercise counts, at any age

Isabel Viña highlights that myokines are released whenever there is muscle contraction, which is why she insists that “All exercise that is carried out, regardless of age, is welcome.”

The main problem, he warns, is sarcopenia, that is, the progressive loss of muscle mass associated with aging, reinforcing the need to stay active throughout life. “Age-related deterioration in muscle health begins at age 40, and in a period of 10 years we can lose 10% of our muscle mass, 30% of strength, and 40% of power; a loss that doubles at age 70, which increases fragility in the eighth decade of life,” he points out.

The consequences also affect the brain

The specialist also warns about an aspect that usually goes unnoticed, which is the cognitive impact of muscle loss. There is a clearly identified muscle-brain axis, and the coexistence of sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in advanced ages is documented. A direct relationship has been observed between slower walking speed and worse cognitive performance.

“A good muscular state protects the brain structure and cognitive function against the negative changes associated with age. The brain is subjected to stress, toxins, a sedentary lifestyle affects it, and is therefore more susceptible to suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, or any type of dementia,” concludes Isabel Viña.