Research

Hormonal

In elderly men, lower relative skeletal muscle mass (RASM) is associated with narrower bones, thinner cortices, and decreased bending strength (section modulus), as well as impaired balance and an increased risk of falls.

For older men, maintaining muscle mass is crucial for bone strength and balance. Focus on resistance training to preserve muscle, as this supports bone geometry (width and cortical thickness) and reduces fall risk, even if bone density measurements alone don't tell the whole story.

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In elderly men, decreased RASM is associated with narrower bones and thinner cortices, which results in a lower bending strength. Low RASM is associated with impaired balance and with an increased risk of falls in elderly men.
Paweł Szulc et al. · Journal of Bone and Mineral Research · 2005

Why this rating

Large cohort (n=796), adjusted for multiple confounders, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.

Source

Low Skeletal Muscle Mass Is Associated With Poor Structural Parameters of Bone and Impaired Balance in Elderly Men—The MINOS Study

Paweł Szulc et al. · Journal of Bone and Mineral Research · 2005

DOI 10.1359/jbmr.041230

cross_sectional · n=796Cited 276×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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