Health expert warns of dementia and infertility if you 'don't exercise enough'
It is no secret that obesity has been labelled a global crisis, but one health expert says there is a more dangerous hidden trend ravaging health and robbing years of life. Speaking to Diary of CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett in his latest episode, Dr Gabrielle Lyon says exercise and strength training are just as important as what you eat.
In the interview, Dr Lyon and Bartlett discuss various health topics. These include how weak muscles and a poor exercise routine can impact your fertility, sleep and leave you with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease.
Dr Gabrielle Lyon is a pioneer of muscle science and a board certified physician for athletes, CEOs and Navy Seals. She is also the founder of Muscle-Centric Medicine and the bestselling author of the book, Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well.
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At the start of their conversation, Dr Lyon spoke about how transforming the way you think about muscle can impact your health positively in the long-term. She says exercise and workouts focussed on strengthening your muscles can prevent disease, optimise your body and completely reshape how you age.
"Everybody focuses on obesity, but obesity is not our problem. If you are in the lower one-third of strength, you have a 50% greater risk of dying from nearly anything. You have to prioritise skeletal muscle."
When asked by Bartlett what that is, Dr Lyon explained: "This is the organ of longevity, the only organ system that you have voluntary control over." Skeletal muscle is a type of muscle tissue that makes up about 40% of the human body's weight and is responsible for many functions, including:
movement, such as breathing, swallowing, and moving the body.
posture
body temperature
nutrients, skeletal muscle stores nutrients
joints, skeletal muscle stabilizes joints
When it comes down to your health, the expert says it shouldn't be about how you look, but instead, how you perform. Sharing an alarming statistic, she added: "Only 6 to 8% of people are meeting the resistance training guidelines and the majority of individuals are sedentary."
Bartlett asked: "Can you describe to me what my life will look like as a 61-year-old if I just sit in this chair and do zero resistance training for the next 30 years?" Dr Lyon hit back: "Are you ready?"
She then warned him of three major illnesses that would likely affect him if he didn't do any exercise over the next several years. "You're 30 right now, so Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease is likely throughout your lifespan," she said.
"Your testosterone is probably low and your sperm quality isn't as good as it could have been." Bartlett asked: "So there's a link between my fertility, for men and women, and my muscle mass?"
Dr Lyon replied: "Yes, and you're probably going to be extremely winded walking upstairs, likely have obesity and sleep apnoea, which means you're deteriorating - including your brain and metabolic health."
The expert says people should exercise for at least three times a week to strengthen their skeletal muscle. Going into detail regarding why, she said: "Your skeletal muscle is your primary site for glucose metabolism and fatty acid metabolism. It is your body armour. Those that are in the lower one-third for strength, you have a 50% greater risk of dying from nearly anything."
Outlining the link between strength and brain health, Dr Lyon said: "The majority of dementia is Alzheimer's dementia, which plays a role in metabolic regulation - type three diabetes of the brain.
"If your skeletal muscle is unhealthy, you are likely having not only skeletal muscle insulin resistance but brain insulin resistance... You cannot be sedentary and be healthy."