Aging + lack of muscle = inability to kill germs

Here's another reason to do strength training and increase your muscle mass.

Fact: As you age, you lose muscle
Fact: As you age your immunities weaken

These two facts make us more susceptible to germs that enter our bodies and to the millions of cancer cells that enters healthy bodies everyday.  Here's the deal.

When germs get into your body you must make white blood cells and proteins called antibodies to kill them. Antibodies and cells are made from protein and the only place that you can store extra protein is in your muscles.  When you have large muscles, you have a ready source of protein to make antibodies and cells.  When you have small muscles, you have a very limited source of amino acids to make protein, so your immunity may be inadequate to kill germs.

Similarly, you need antibodies to control cancer cells. Your white blood cells and protein antibodies are necessary to ferret out and kill these cancer cells that enter our healthy bodies everyday. You develop cancer when these cancer cells survive and start growing. Having large muscles gives you the source of protein to make antibodies that kill cancer cells as well as germs.

I found this information in articles titled Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research which were based on research done by JAMA. The articles further support one of my favorite expressions "People do not grow too old to exercise but rather grow old from lack of exercise."  Aging does not cause muscles to get smaller,  it's the lack of exercise that causes muscles to get smaller.

So, the solution is to start a strength training program.  It's never too late to start increasing muscle mass!