A research study carried out at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä found that having a genetic predisposition for greater muscle strength is linked to living a longer life and having a reduced risk of developing common diseases. This study is the most extensive international research on inherited muscle strength and its connection to illness. The data from the genome and health of over 340,000 individuals from Finland was utilized in this study.The largest national study to date investigated the link between inherited muscle strength and illness. More than 340,000 Finns’ genetic and health data were utilized in the study.
The findings suggest that muscle strength, specifically hand grip strength, can serve as an indicator of an individual’s ability to defend against age-related ailments and disabilities, as well as their capacity to manage them. The decline in muscle strength as people age varies from person to person and is influenced not only by lifestyle but also by genetics.
The research showed that individuals with a genetic predisposition for greater muscle strength may have a slightly reduced risk of common age-related diseases.The study focused on non-communicable diseases and early death. However, it didn’t anticipate better survival after sudden health issues compared to the time before the illness began.
“It appears that a genetic inclination for higher muscle strength has more of an impact on an individual’s natural ability to resist and protect themselves against age-related pathological changes rather than the ability to recover or fully bounce back after significant adversity,” said Päivi Herranen, a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences.
The research utilized a unique study population
Muscle strength is a multiarticle, researchers found that the strength of muscles is not only influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors, but also by a large number of genetic variants. Each of these genetic variants has a small impact on muscle strength. The study constructed a polygenic score for muscle strength to define the genetic predisposition for this trait. This score combines the effects of hundreds of thousands of genetic variants into a single score. By using the polygenic score, researchers were able to compare participants with high or low genetic predisposition for muscle strength and investigate their associations with inherited muscle strength and other phenotypes, such as common diseases.”In a recent study, genetic information and health outcomes from more than 340,000 Finnish men and women were utilized, according to Herranen. The study is the first to examine the link between genetic predisposition for muscle strength and various diseases on a large scale. Further research on the impacts of lifestyles is still required. This data on genetic predisposition for muscle strength could help in identifying individuals at high risk of common diseases and health issues, when used alongside traditional risk assessment methods.
The study suggests that further research is needed on how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, may affect an individual’s ability to resist diseases and whether this impact varies due to genetics,” explains Herranen.
The research utilized the FinnGen dataset, which is a unique compilation of data from Finnish biobanks. The dataset included 342,443 Finnish participants aged 40 to 108, with 53% being women. The study focused on specific diagnoses, but it is clear that more investigation is necessary.
The research focuses on the primary causes of death and major noncommunicable diseases in Finland. The diagnoses studied include common cardiometabolic and pulmonary diseases, musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, falls and fractures, mental health and cognitive disorders, cancers, as well as overall mortality and mortality from cardiovascular diseases.
This study is the second part of Päivi Herranen’s doctoral thesis, which explores the impact of genetics and environmental factors on biological aging, specifically the decline in muscle strength and functional capacity as individuals age. This research is part of the GeThis project is currently active and is funded by the Research Council of Finland, as well as the Juho Vainio and Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg foundations. The project is overseen by Assistant Professor and Academy Research Fellow Elina Sillanpää and was carried out in collaboration with the Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), and the FinnGen research project.
