Frontiers in Public Health
Recognizing muscle health in healthy aging and non-communicable disease policy: a public health perspective
Population aging and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) place sustained pressure on health systems. In this perspective, I argue that muscle health—muscle mass, strength, and physical function—should be recognized as an explicit and prognostically distinct target within policies for healthy aging and NCD prevention. Two arguments distinguish this from generic physical activity promotion: muscle strength predicts mortality, regardless of activity level, and the most significant gains are produced …