According to
a recent Swedish study, boys who are
physically strong between the ages of 16 and 19 are more likely to live longer
than their less-fit counterparts, even if they become unhealthy adults later in
life.
The study, which tracked one million young men over a period of 24
years, used a number of exercises – such as push-ups and leg curls – to
determine the strength level of each adolescent and found that those teens who
scored above-average muscle strength reduced their risk of an early death by
20% - 35%.
Even when risk factors such as high blood pressure and obesity were
taken into account, the data revealed the link between muscle strength during
those seminal teen years and an early death remained the same.
Of the one million subjects tracked, 26, 145 died over the course
of the study with the leading causes of death being cancer, heart disease,
stroke, suicide, and accidental injury. However, the study’s data not only
revealed that the stronger young men were less likely to die from these
ailments, but were also 65% less likely to have mental health issues, such as
depression, later in life as well.
Also, strong adolescents over the course of the study had 20% - 30%
lower risk of suicide than those who were physically weaker.
Those young men who scored the lowest in terms of muscular strength
at the beginning of the study were at the highest risk of dying before reaching
middle age.
While the study provides plenty of evidence that discovering the
gym at an early age can benefit more than your vanity, the researchers were
quick to point out that building muscle doesn’t necessarily lead to a longer
life, but that muscular strength may instead be a great indicator of one’s
fitness level overall.
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