title: Exercise at Different Ages and Appendicular Lean Mass and Strength in Later Life: Results From the Berlin Aging Study II.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excessive loss of muscle mass in advanced age is a major risk factor for decreased physical ability and falls. Physical activity and exercise training are typically recommended to maintain muscle mass and prevent weakness. How exercise in different stages of life relates to muscle mass, grip strength, and risk for weakness in later life is not well understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline data on 891 participants at least 60 years old from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) were analyzed. Linear and logistic regressions of self-reported exercise in early adulthood, old age, or both on appendicular lean mass (ALM), grip strength, and a risk indicator for weakness (ALM/ body mass index cutoff) were calculated. In addition, treatment bounds are analyzed to address potential confounding using a method proposed by Oster.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses indicate that for men only, continuous exercise is significantly associated with higher muscle mass (SD = 0.24, p < .001), grip strength (SD = 0.18, p < .05), and lower risk for clinically relevant low muscle mass (odds ratio = 0.36, p < .01). Exercise in early adulthood alone is not significantly associated with muscle mass or strength. No significant associations were observed for women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the current study underscore the importance of health programs to promote physical activity with a focus on young adults, a group known to be affected from environmentally associated decline of physical activity, and to promote the continuation of physical exercise from early adulthood into later life in general.
authors.affiliation: Health Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford. Research Infrastructure 'Socio-Economic Panel Study,' German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eibich
authors.affiliation: The Berlin Aging Study II; Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikolaus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Buchmann
authors.affiliation: Research Infrastructure 'Socio-Economic Panel Study,' German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Germany. Institute for Social Sciences, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kroh
authors.affiliation: Research Infrastructure 'Socio-Economic Panel Study,' German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Germany. Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB), Berlin, Germany. School of Economics and Management, Berlin University of Technology (TUB), Germany.
authors.forename: Gert G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: The Berlin Aging Study II; Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Steinhagen-Thiessen
authors.affiliation: The Berlin Aging Study II; Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. Institute of Medical and Human Genetics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ilja
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Demuth
authors.affiliation: The Berlin Aging Study II; Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Norman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Age; Appendicular lean mass; BASE-II; Grip strength; Physical activity; Sarcopenia