Weak muscles and abdominal fat can be a dangerous combination for older adults who have difficulty walking. A new study from the Federal University of São Carlos suggests that these two physical traits can directly affect the loss of gait speed.
“Our comparative analysis showed loss of gait speed occurring mainly when abdominal fat and weak muscles were associated. Gait speed didn’t decline so sharply in older people who had only abdominal fat or only weak muscles,” study author Tiago da Silva Alexandre said.
