Content Library Articles Longevity Journal

The Most Underrated Organ for Longevity

August 16, 2026

If you’re like most people, you’ve likely bought into two assumptions that could be massively shortchanging your longevity. 

Assumption #1: Your muscles move your skeleton from one location to another—full stop. That’s their main function. 

Assumption #2: As long as you keep going about your daily activities, your muscles will always be there when you need them.

Yes, your muscles do help you maintain mobility and independence as you age. But that’s only part of the story.

In addition to helping you open pickle jars and get off the toilet unassisted, your muscles act like an organ system that plays several important roles in your body.

Muscles help:^1–3

• Clear excess blood sugar from your bloodstream
  
  
• Power your metabolism
  
  
• Reduce your risk of falls and fractures
  
  
• Secrete thousands of longevity-protecting molecules that help to tamp down inflammation and other age accelerators

The thing is, as you get older, it gets harder to maintain the status quo.

A daily walk and occasional time in your garden might have maintained muscle mass when you were in your 20s—but it’s not going to cut it after age 40. As a result, most people lose 0.5%–1% of their muscle mass per year starting around midlife. By age 80, most people have lost half the muscle they had when they were 30.⁴

It doesn’t have to be this way. A handful of doable lifestyle changes can help you maintain and even build muscle mass, strength, and power so you can reap its many longevity benefits. 

The Anti-Aging Medicine Inside Your Muscles

According to several studies, your muscle mass, power, and strength can more accurately predict your risk of premature disability, cognitive impairment, or even death than your level of body fat.^5–9   

So, how exactly does muscle add to lifespan and healthspan? Let’s take a look at the top three longevity benefits of muscle. 

Muscle Reduces the Risk of Falls

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the #1 cause of injury-related death in people 65 and older.¹⁰ 

Stronger, more powerful muscles can reduce your fall risk by stabilizing your body, increasing balance and coordination, and speeding up your reaction time. Muscle can also serve as a cushion. So, if you do lose your balance, you’ll be less likely to break a bone.^11,12

Muscle Keeps Insulin and Blood Sugar in Check

Muscles need energy to power movement, and that energy often comes from blood sugar. Indeed, your skeletal muscles are capable of clearing roughly 80% of post-meal blood glucose from your bloodstream.¹³ 

In addition, the stronger and healthier your muscles, the more sensitive they are to insulin.

This hormone acts like a key that shuttles blood glucose into cells. When cells are insulin sensitive, blood glucose and insulin levels remain in the healthy range. 

On the other hand, when cells are insulin resistant, they don’t readily open their doors when insulin knocks. Your pancreas responds by secreting even more insulin. Cells then become even more resistant to it. 

Eventually, both insulin levels and blood glucose levels remain stubbornly elevated.¹⁴ 

By protecting your muscle health, you can interrupt this vicious cycle—and the effects can be powerful. 

In one study, people with higher muscle strength were 44% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes over roughly seven years.¹⁵ 

In another, sedentary, overweight individuals with prediabetes began strength training twice per week—and after three months, 34% of participants had reversed their prediabetes.¹⁶

Muscle Secretes Thousands of Anti-Aging Molecules

Every time you move, your muscles secrete thousands of myokines. These molecules help your muscles adapt to exercise, allowing them to grow bigger, faster, and stronger. 

And these molecules don’t stay confined to your muscles. During exercise, they can seep into your bloodstream, functioning like medicine for tissues and organs throughout your body.^17,18 

• In your immune system: Myokines regulate the function of immune cells, helping to improve how your body fights off bacteria, viruses, and other bugs. These substances can also keep low-level chronic inflammation in check, helping to slow the aging process.^19,20 
  
  
• In your bones: Myokines stimulate bone-forming cells (osteoblasts), helping keep bones strong.²¹ (Read more about bone health here.)
  
  
• In your belly: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a type of myokine, stimulates the release of fatty acids, helping you target the most dangerous kind of body fat.²²
  
  
• In your brain: Several myokines are capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, triggering the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a substance that functions like fertilizer for brain cells.²³  
  
  
• In your gut: Myokines foster a more diverse microbiome and strengthen your gut barrier. ^24,25
  
  
• In your blood vessels: Myokines protect the thin layer of cells (endothelium) that lines the inside of your blood vessels. This helps to keep blood vessels pliable and healthy.^26,27

In short, the release of myokines during physical activity may help reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and many other diseases of aging.^27–31  

The Winning Muscle Health Protocol

While it certainly gets harder to build and maintain muscle as you get older, it’s never too late to make an impact. Even 90-year-olds have successfully regained lost muscle.³²

Here are five strategies to support muscle maintenance and growth—both now and for years to come. 

Strategy #1: Make Resistance Training Nonnegotiable 

Jogging, cycling, and other types of cardiovascular exercise are great for your overall health, but they generally don’t provide enough of a stimulus to maintain muscle mass, strength, and power over time. 

If you take away one thing from this article, let it be this: You need regular resistance training. 

▶ Do a full-body resistance training program two to three times a week. Increase the challenge over time by adding more weight, reps, and/or exercises. If you’re new to strength training, consider signing up for a few sessions with a trainer to learn some basic movements and ensure you’re lifting safely with proper form. 

Strategy #2: Prioritize Protein

The amino acids found in protein are essential for repairing and rebuilding your muscles, but most people aren’t getting enough. 

▶ Aim for around 1.2–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight. For a 150-pound (68-kilogram) person, that works out to roughly 82–108 grams of protein a day—or about 30 grams per meal. Each palm-sized portion of meat, fish, or poultry you consume will net you about 20–30 grams. 

For more advice on getting enough protein, check out: How to Double Your Protein Intake. You can also consider filling any gaps with a protein powder, such as Naked Goat’s Whey Protein Powder. 

Strategy #3: Consider Supplementing with Creatine

Creatine is a natural compound your body makes from amino acids. It’s also found in red meat and fish. You can think of it as a backup power source: It helps your cells quickly produce energy when they need it most. 

During resistance training, creatine can help you complete more reps and lift heavier weights, which can increase muscle strength and mass. 

In a 2021 meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials, adults over 50 who took creatine while doing resistance training gained almost 3 pounds more lean mass, on average, than adults who did the same training program without taking creatine.³³ That’s a meaningful difference that could help offset the natural muscle loss that comes with aging. 

▶ Aim for 5 grams a day. The best-studied and most effective form of creatine is creatine monohydrate; I particularly like Thorne Creatine. Mix it into any drink—including water and coffee. (If you have a kidney condition or are at high risk, talk to your doctor before taking creatine—or any other supplement.)

Strategy #4: Slow Your Fat Losses

Here’s an unfortunate truth that most diets don’t advertise: Weight loss generally comes from fat tissue as well as from muscle tissue. And the faster the scale drops, the more muscle and less fat you’re at risk of losing. 

Ideally, you’ll want to minimize muscle losses as much as possible. Both resistance training and protein intake will help. So will slower weight loss.^34,35 

▶ Stay away from aggressive diets that promise you’ll lose more than a pound or so a week. Most people should cap their calorie deficit at about 500 calories per day below estimated maintenance. 

Strategy #5: Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Sleep

During sleep, your brain secretes human growth hormone, which is critical for muscle repair and growth. It’s also during this time that your body replenishes a type of fuel (glycogen) stored in muscle tissue. Cut these important processes short and everything you do in the gym will feel a lot harder than it should.^36,37 

▶ Aim for 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye a night. Consider trying one of these easy sleep experiments if you need some support here.

References

1. Strasser B, Volaklis K, Fuchs D, Burtscher M. Role of dietary protein and muscular fitness on longevity and aging. Aging Dis. 2018 Feb;9(1):119–32.

2. Srikanthan P, Karlamangla AS. Muscle mass index as a predictor of longevity in older adults. Am J Med. 2014 Jun;127(6):547–53.

3. LaMonte MJ, Hyde ET, Nguyen S, Castro E, Seguin-Fowler RA, Eaton CB, et al. Muscular strength and mortality in women aged 63 to 99 years. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Feb 2;9(2):e2559367.

4. Wilkinson DJ, Piasecki M, Atherton PJ. The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function: Measurement and physiology of muscle fibre atrophy and muscle fibre loss in humans. Ageing Res Rev. 2018 Nov;47:123–32.

5. Wang H, Hai S, Liu Y, Liu Y, Dong B. Skeletal muscle mass as a mortality predictor among nonagenarians and centenarians: A prospective cohort study. Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 20;9(1):2420.

6. Li R, Xia J, Zhang XI, Gathirua-Mwangi WG, Guo J, Li Y, et al. Associations of muscle mass and strength with all-cause mortality among US older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 Mar;50(3):458–67.

7. Cheng Y, Li T, Huang G, Hou D, Li S, Liang Y, et al. Low appendicular skeletal muscle mass is associated with the risk of mortality among adults in the United States. Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 22;15(1):9908.

8. Abramowitz MK, Hall CB, Amodu A, Sharma D, Androga L, Hawkins M. Muscle mass, BMI, and mortality among adults in the United States: A population-based cohort study. PLoS One. 2018 Apr 11;13(4):e0194697.

9. de Santana FM, Domiciano DS, Gonçalves MA, Machado LG, Figueiredo CP, Lopes JB, et al. Association of appendicular lean mass, and subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue with mortality in older Brazilians: The são Paulo ageing & health study. J Bone Miner Res. 2019 Jul;34(7):1264–74.

10. CDC. Older Adult Falls Data [Internet]. Older Adult Fall Prevention. 2026. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/falls/data-research/index.html 

11. Rodrigues F, Monteiro AM, Forte P, Morouço P. Effects of muscle strength, agility, and fear of falling on risk of falling in older adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 11;20(6):4945.

12. Takada H, Yamashita K, Osawa L, Komiyama Y, Muraoka M, Suzuki Y, et al. Assessment of lower limb muscle strength can predict fall risk in patients with chronic liver disease. Sci Rep. 2024 Jan 2;14(1):64.

13. Merz KE, Thurmond DC. Role of skeletal muscle in insulin resistance and glucose uptake. Compr Physiol. 2020 Jul 8;10(3):785–809.

14. Niemann MJ, Tucker LA, Bailey BW, Davidson LE. Strength training and insulin resistance: The mediating role of body composition. J Diabetes Res. 2020 May 8;2020:7694825.

15. Wang M, Collings PJ, Jang H, Chen Z, Shi Q, Ho HS, et al. Prospective associations between muscle strength and genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes with incident type 2 diabetes: a UK Biobank study. BMC Med. 2025 Feb 21;23(1):93.

16. Davy BM, Winett RA, Savla J, Marinik EL, Baugh ME, Flack KD, et al. Resist diabetes: A randomized clinical trial for resistance training maintenance in adults with prediabetes. PLoS One. 2017 Feb 23;12(2):e0172610.

17. Bay ML, Pedersen BK. Muscle-organ crosstalk: Focus on immunometabolism. Front Physiol. 2020 Sep 9;11:567881.

18. Balakrishnan R, Thurmond DC. Mechanisms by which skeletal muscle myokines ameliorate insulin resistance. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Apr 22;23(9):4636.

19. Lu Z, Wang Z, Zhang XA, Ning K. Myokines may be the answer to the beneficial immunomodulation of tailored exercise-A narrative review. Biomolecules. 2024 Sep 25;14(10):1205.

20. Zunner BEM, Wachsmuth NB, Eckstein ML, Scherl L, Schierbauer JR, Haupt S, et al. Myokines and resistance training: A narrative review. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 23;23(7):3501.

21. Gomarasca M, Banfi G, Lombardi G. Myokines: The endocrine coupling of skeletal muscle and bone. Makowski GS, editor. Adv Clin Chem. 2020;94:155–218.

22. Wedell-Neergaard AS, Lang Lehrskov L, Christensen RH, Legaard GE, Dorph E, Larsen MK, et al. Exercise-induced changes in visceral adipose tissue mass are regulated by IL-6 signaling: A randomized controlled trial. Cell Metab. 2019 Apr 2;29(4):844–55.e3.

23. Pahlavani HA. Exercise therapy to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease. Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 Aug 4;15:1243869.

24. Research data. Exercise Impacts on Gut Microbiota and Metabolism. Nature Research Intelligence Topic Summary. Available from: https://www.nature.com/nature-index/topics/l4/exercise-impacts-on-gut-microbiota-and-metabolism 

25. Saponaro F, Bertolini A, Baragatti R, Galfo L, Chiellini G, Saba A, et al. Myokines and Microbiota: New perspectives in the endocrine muscle-gut axis. Nutrients. 2024 Nov 25;16(23):4032.

26. Masutomi T, Ouchi N, Yamaguchi S, Ohashi K, Otaka N, Pu Z, et al. Myonectin stimulates endothelial angiogenic activity in vitro and in vivo. Nagoya J Med Sci. 2025 May;87(2):285–94.

27. Chen J, Zong J, Su S, Ji X, Wang L, Han X, et al. Cardiovascular system is influenced by skeletal muscle-derived extracellular vesicles, myokines and MicroRNAs based on interorgan communication: A systematic review. Int J Med Sci. 2025 Apr 28;22(10):2382–97.

28. Kim JS, Taaffe DR, Galvão DA, Clay TD, Redfern AD, Hart NH, et al. Acute effect of high-intensity interval aerobic exercise on serum myokine levels and resulting tumour-suppressive effect in trained patients with advanced prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2023 Dec;26(4):795–801.

29. Chen ZT, Weng ZX, Lin JD, Meng ZX. Myokines: metabolic regulation in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Life Metab. 2024 Jun;3(3):loae006.

30. Ji X, Hu X, Xu T, Yang W. Roles of myokines in osteoporosis under physiological and diabetic conditions. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025 Jun 11;16:1600218.

31. Vints WAJ, Levin O, Masiulis N, Verbunt J, van Laake-Geelen CCM. Myokines may target accelerated cognitive aging in people with spinal cord injury: A systematic and topical review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2023 Mar;146(105065):105065.

32. Fiatarone MA, Marks EC, Ryan ND, Meredith CN, Lipsitz LA, Evans WJ. High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians. Effects on skeletal muscle. JAMA. 1990 Jun 13;263(22):3029–34.

33. Forbes SC, Candow DG, Ostojic SM, Roberts MD, Chilibeck PD. Meta-analysis examining the importance of creatine ingestion strategies on lean tissue mass and strength in older adults. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 2;13(6):1912.

34. Deller M, Weiershaus J, Held S, Brinkmann C. Effects of calorie restriction with and without strength, endurance or mixed training on fat-free and skeletal muscle mass in overweight or obese individuals-A systematic review with pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2026 Aug;28(8):6810–23.

35. Cava E, Yeat NC, Mittendorfer B. Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss. Adv Nutr. 2017 May;8(3):511–9.

36. Chennaoui M, Vanneau T, Trignol A, Arnal P, Gomez-Merino D, Baudot C, et al. How does sleep help recovery from exercise-induced muscle injuries? J Sci Med Sport. 2021 Oct;24(10):982–7.

37. Dáttilo M, Antunes HKM, Galbes NMN, Mônico-Neto M, DE Sá Souza H, Dos Santos Quaresma MVL, et al. Effects of sleep deprivation on acute skeletal muscle recovery after exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2020 Feb;52(2):507–14.