Muscles Are Our Pharmacy
Increase your strength, not your medications
There are a handful of healthy habits that I am grateful that I adopted decades ago, strength training being at the top of the list. As I get older, I’m reminded daily of the importance of staying strong to live well, age great. Opening a jar, lifting heavy groceries, carrying things upstairs, heaving the slow cooker to the cupboard above my head... not to mention climbing hills, enjoying the outdoors, and generally feeling strong enough to take on the day.
A couple of years ago, I covered quite a few benefits of being strong in my post, Marvelous Muscles, but thanks to neurophysiologist and brain researcher Louisa Nicola, who was a recent guest on Dr. Rangan Chaterjee’s Feel Better Live More podcast, I’ve got a new motivation to build strength: muscles are our pharmacy. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s a profound thought. Although I knew healthy muscles contribute to our overall health far beyond simply being strong and looking toned, framing it this way sheds new light on how amazing our bodies and muscles really are.
Especially at this point in time—when chronic disease is on the rise, life expectancy is declining for the first time in decades, and the average 65-year-old is on an all-time high of four medications—I firmly believe that we are at an inflection point in our health care and that we need to carefully consider all options available to avoid these dire outcomes. Unfortunately, the allopathic approach tends to manage disease symptoms with medication rather than solving the root cause (my preferred route). Given my distaste for a pharmaceutical quick fix, the concept of muscles being our pharmacy is revolutionary and empowering.
Strengthen your muscles, fortify your brain
Although the discussion with Dr. Rangan Chaterjee centered primarily on the connection between exercise and cognitive function (which was eye-opening in itself, and which I’ll be covering in another post) my ears perked up when Louisa was enthusiastically talking about the role of muscles in brain health.
As a neurophysiologist, Louisa cited several studies in particular that showed regular resistance training can increase the brain's grey matter volume, potentially improving cognitive function and memory. How can working the muscles affect the brain? Well, when contracted and stressed, skeletal muscles produce and secrete a miraculous protein called BDNF—brain-derived neurotrophic factor—that encourages muscle regeneration, regulates metabolism, and fortifies synaptic function.
Specific to the brain, BDNF helps with neuron growth, neuronal network development, synaptic plasticity and function, and strengthening neuromuscular junctions. It also helps with insulin-regulated glucose uptake (essential for healthy weight, immunity, and disease prevention) and muscle oxidation processes.
Combined, these miraculous muscle-related benefits have far-reaching implications for preventing and treating many age-related cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer's. As cases of this debilitating and life-altering disease are predicted to triple by 2050 (yes, the prediction is to TRIPLE), the significance of BDNF’s role in brain health and our ability to enhance and increase its production cannot be overstated.
But wait, there’s more. Lots more.
We possess powerful weapons to fight disease
Skeletal muscle has recently been identified as a powerful endocrine (hormonal) organ, releasing several hormones and factors such as myokines, insulin-like growth factor 1, irisin, myostatin, Interlukin 6, follistatin cathepsinB, and Leukemia inhibitory factor, just to name a few technical, hard-to-pronounce things. While we may not be able to fully understand the intricate functions of these substances without a medical degree, we can nevertheless appreciate that they help with harmful inflammation that leads to all sorts of maladies, cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis, and more.
In fact, according to the National Foundation for Cancer Research, a research team at the University of Sydney studied 80,000 adults and concluded that strength training twice a week reduced the likelihood of dying from cancer by 31%, and the overall probability for any type of premature death decreased by a whopping 23%.
Furthermore, for people who are undergoing cancer treatment, research shows that good muscle mass may improve cancer prognosis, especially for those suffering from cachexia (wasting syndrome), which affects up to 80% of cancer patients and is responsible for up to 30% of cancer deaths. Cachexia is characterized by muscle-wasting, involuntary weight loss, and fatigue, and it has no approved treatment drug in the US. While strength training alone may not wholly counteract the effects of cachexia, it has been shown to be beneficial.
Heart disease, which is a leading cause of death in the United States, can also be prevented—or at the very least mitigated—with the aid of our marvelous muscles. The American Heart Association estimated that 931,000 people died from this nearly entirely preventable disease in 2024, an increase from previous years. Strength training helps to prevent heart disease by controlling blood sugar, lowering blood pressure by widening arteries and increasing blood flow, and reducing fat cells that increase inflammation.
We are designed for health
We can take this notion further and look at the entire body as a pharmacy. Our bodies have a series of synergistic systems and chemistries designed for good health, such as a very robust and capable immune system that detects foreign substances, launches attacks, defeats invading germs, and protects healthy tissues. A body-wide lymphatic network that expels waste. Wonder-substance synovial fluid that lubricates the joints. Collagen and protein synthesis that builds and maintains healthy muscles, tendons, ligaments, and skin. And this is only the tip of the benefits iceberg.
Our bodies contain tremendous chemistry and functions designed to protect us. Our job—which is within our control—is to protect, nurture, and maintain these remarkable systems with wise choices, diligence, and commitment.
Starting with our muscles. We know the benefits of our protective skeletal muscles, so strength training is essential since most of us don’t hunt and gather anymore. This can take many forms, including body weight calisthenics (think planks, wall squats, push-ups), weight training with free weights or machines, pilates, cross-fit programs… Any repetitive or sustained movements challenging and taxing the muscles will fit the bill.
Ladies, put down the pretty pink two-pound dumbbells and pick up something heavy! Even carrying groceries counts as lifting and moving, but weights are the goal to work towards. It’s never too early or too late to start. Believe it or not, people in their 80s who start strength training show an improvement above baseline.
Proper nutrition will underpin your efforts. First, make sure your protein intake is sufficient. Dr. Gabrille Lyon, founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine, recommends that adults consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. Second, you can supplement your protein-rich diet with creatine monohydrate, which benefits both the muscles and the brain. It is the most studied supplement on the market and is considered very safe to consume. A 5-gram serving in powder form is easy to mix into a smoothie or a morning drink.
Now’s the time
If you’ve had difficulty starting or sticking with strength training, perhaps thinking about muscles not as vanity but as vitality is the motivation you need. (Although the benefits of a toned physique certainly make it a win-win!) The cascading benefits of strong muscles on longevity is my critical cornerstone to live well, age great.