Belly fat and muscle weakness signal physical decline in men.

By Gabriela Cupani, from Agência Einstein - This is not an aesthetic issue: the presence of the famous "belly" combined with loss of muscle strength accelerates physical decline in the elderly – and, with it, the risks of more serious problems, such as falls and even death. Although it is expected that, with age, a person will lose strength and gain weight, these two factors together are already a sign of the approaching difficulty in performing daily tasks. 

The conclusion comes from a study conducted by researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos, in the interior of São Paulo state, and University College London (United Kingdom), which evaluated data from nearly four thousand British people in their sixties over eight years. The article was published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition".   

To arrive at the result, the volunteers underwent tests from the "Short Physical Performance Battery" (SPPB), which assesses physical performance based on parameters such as walking speed, sitting and standing from a chair, and balance. In men, those who had more abdominal fat and less muscle strength experienced a faster decline during the follow-up period. 

"It is already known that these are early signs of functional decline, increasing the risk of falls, functional disability, and even death," explains physiotherapist Roberta Máximo, one of the study's authors. 

Even if a person doesn't notice major difficulties in daily activities like bathing, eating, or housework, these shortcomings in physical performance already signal a functional impairment. It could be a kind of transition to total disability. 

"The process of functional decline is progressive. There is usually a turning point, such as a fall, but when this occurs, there has already been functional loss beforehand," says Tiago da Silva Alexandre, professor in the Department of Gerontology at UFSCar and supervisor of the research. Identifying this decline in time can be essential to avoid disability in daily activities in the future.  

It is known that peak bone and muscle mass is reached around age 30. Then, around age 40, a process of loss begins. In the case of muscle strength, this is called dynapenia. At this stage, fat accumulation also increases, mainly in the waist area. Excess adipose tissue in the abdomen combined with loss of muscle strength is called dynapenic abdominal obesity. 

"Although they are separate processes, one exacerbates the other," says Roberta. 

"It is known that this fat is metabolically active and secretes inflammatory factors that facilitate the loss of muscle mass," explains geriatrician Thaís Ioshimoto, from the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital.  

Aerobic activities and weight training  

The good news is that it's possible to reverse this process – if not entirely, at least in part. Older adults should engage in at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and participate at least twice a week in so-called resistance exercises, such as weight training. 

Close monitoring is also necessary, with tests and exams such as bone densitometry, to assess health and physical capacity. The sooner you start, the better. 

"Ideally, you should take care of yourself and adopt a healthy lifestyle well before the aging process begins," Thais reminds us.

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