Quarter of people ‘just cannot grow muscle tissue’ says Professor Jamie Timmons Millions of us spend hours sweating and straining in the gym hoping to keep ourselves looking younger than our years. But when it comes to slowing down the ageing process, you might as well stay on the couch.
According to scientists, regular exercise will not stop our muscles losing their tone and shape. The findings challenge the long-held belief that inactivity is largely responsible for muscle wastage in our older years.
Professor Jamie Timmons, from Loughborough University, said the research shows “a simple link between muscle ageing and lack of exercise is not plausible.”
He added: 'When it comes to tackling ageing, experts are advising the Government that muscle ageing is caused by factors such as inactivity. However, we looked at the changes in human muscle with age, in both people from the UK and the USA.
“We did not observe physical activity altering the age-related biological changes. So for some people exercise might produce some good functional effects, but for others it will not stop the loss of muscle.”
Professor Timmons said a quarter of people “just cannot grow muscle tissue” even when they make an effort to be physically active.
And he stressed that a “one-size-fits-all” approach will not be effective when it comes to stopping muscles from withering away.
The researchers found specific chemical markers, or fingerprints, for muscle ageing. Once they identified the chemical signatures, the scientists were able to see how they reacted to endurance training.
They were looking for improvements in the patients who were exercising. But they soon realised that the volunteers' hard work in the gym did not stop their muscles from deteriorating.
Professor Timmons, who specialises in systems biology at Loughborough's Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences department, said: “We found there is absolutely no connection. The major problem with ageing is loss of muscle, but 25 per cent of people don't respond to exercise and grow muscle.”
He warned that repetitive exercise could cause more than one in ten people to suffer high blood pressure and place 9 per cent at higher risk of diabetes. He said: “Our public health strategy is to focus on physical activity, which in many cases doesn't work.”
“For some people, the focus may be better spent on looking at their diet or sleep.”