Greater Muscle Strength Helps Teens Lower Diabetes, Heart Disease Risks

Lower risk of diabetes and heart disease. Lower body mass index. Smaller waist circumference.

That’s what greater muscle strength can do for teenage boys and girls.

Not only do stronger teens have a greater level of cardiorespiratory fitness, but they also have a lower percent of body fat, according to a new study published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Researchers analyzed health data for more than 1,400 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 12. They looked at their percent body fat, fasting glucose, blood pressure, plasma triglycerides levels and HDL cholesterol. What they found is that boys and girls with greater strength-to-body mass ratios had significantly lower risk for heart disease and diabetes.

The study contradicts a widely held belief that only high body mass index, low cardiorespiratory fitness and excessive sedentary behaviors are the primary drivers of cardiometabolic problems, a news release from the AAP states.

“These findings bolster the importance of early strength acquisition and healthy body composition in childhood,” the authors wrote.

Previous studies have found that low muscular strength in teen boys can be a risk factor for suicide and cardiovascular diseases in young adulthood.

“…this study bolsters support for strategies – including strength training or strengthening exercises – to maintain healthy BMIs and body compositions among children and adolescents, and that it supports the use of resistance exercise to supplement traditional weight loss interventions among children and teens,” the release states.

Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics news release; Pediatrics

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