Does Your Weight REALLY Matter? (Shocking)
By
Erin Murphy
Posted October 9, 2018
It’s the first thing they do when you show up for a doctor’s appointment… it doesn’t matter if you’re there for a cold or a hangnail.
They make you step on the scale.
Maybe your doc or a nurse even shakes their head disapprovingly behind you.
We’ve been conditioned to absolutely OBSESS about our weight.
But is it as important as we’ve always thought?
A new study tried to get to the bottom of the issue – and you’re going to be shocked at what they found.
An interesting study was published in the American Medical Association's journal.
Researchers looked at the fitness levels and body compositions of 2,603 older adults (average age 64).
After measuring their body fat percentage and calculating their BMI, they asked these individuals to do an exercise treadmill test to determine their physical fitness.
They then followed those participants for 12 years to determine their death rate.
The result? The participants who scored highest in terms of physical fitness died at half the rate of the physically unfit subjects.
It didn’t matter what body fat percentage or BMI the participants had.
The study suggests that a high level of fitness is much more important than reaching an ideal body weight.
So… what’s going on?
As I've said many times before: muscle strength and muscle mass are the most important factors for longevity.
In another study of over 400,000 middle-aged and older adults in the United Kingdom, researchers looked at muscle function and body fat. What they found was the men who had the least body fat were the weakest – somehow having body fat helps muscles stay fit.
Other studies prove the same: the more muscle mass you have, the healthier you are, no matter how much fat you have on your body.
Now, I don't want you to ignore body fat completely, because the higher amount of body fat, the more you are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses.
But I'd much rather have you exercising and building muscle than focusing on weight loss.
Let me show you how.
Dr. Scott’s Muscle Maintaining Recipe
Building muscles requires two things:
- Exercise: The first is that you need to move your body around a bit. Yes, this means you need to do some sort of exercise. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, just get out and move your body. If all you can do is walk, then do that, but exercising including strength training is one of the keys to keeping your muscle mass as you age.
- The right nutrition: Protein is your friend. Most older adults need more protein. Animal proteins including dairy, chicken, fish, eggs, and lean red meat are complete proteins that contain all of the essential amino acids required for muscle growth. You can also try protein powders.
Health and Happiness,
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
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