Women and men who exercise regularly have larger and stronger hearts, and greater endurance and strength, than those who do not exercise regularly [1]. Their muscles are stronger and more coordinated [2]. We can all expect to become weaker as we age, but you can markedly delay this inevitable loss of muscle strength by having a regular exercise program and following the same anti-inflammatory lifestyle rules that are recommended to help prevent heart attacks [3], cancers [4], and many other diseases.
Older people who suffer from severe loss of muscles (called sarcopenia) are far more likely to have high levels of the markers of inflammation, measured with blood tests such as CRP, SED rate and adiponectin [5] . Sarcopenia is found in other conditions associated with chronic inflammation, including: