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A Simple Measure Of Strength That Predicts Metabolic Health
If you needed one more reason to hit the weights, here it is: new research from the UK Biobank shows that higher muscle strength is strongly linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes—even in people genetically predisposed to the disease.
The study analyzed data from over 140,000 British adults who were diabetes-free at the start of the study. Over the course of 7.4 years, researchers tracked their health, focusing on two main things: grip strength (as a proxy for overall muscle strength) and their genetic risk score for type 2 diabetes, based on 138 known gene variants.
What they found is compelling: people with high muscle strength had a 44% lower relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with low muscle strength. That’s after adjusting for genetic risk and other factors.
But the most surprising part? Even individuals with high genetic risk had lower absolute risk if they were strong. In other words, building muscle might be able to buffer some of the impact of your DNA.
Why would muscle help prevent diabetes?
Muscle tissue plays a key role in how our bodies handle glucose. When you build muscle, you increase your body’s ability to take up and store blood sugar efficiently, improving insulin sensitivity. Strength training also boosts levels of GLUT4 (a glucose transporter) and mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle, both of which help keep blood sugar in check.
Loss of muscle mass and strength, on the other hand, shrinks this metabolic machinery, making it harder for your body to manage glucose and potentially leading to insulin resistance.
That’s one reason why maintaining (or better yet, increasing) muscle strength is so critical as we age.
Genes aren’t destiny, but they do influence risk
Interestingly, the researchers found that while higher muscle strength helped across the board, the protective effect was slightly weaker in people with high genetic risk. But even then, the data showed that these high-risk individuals with strong muscles had a lower 8-year absolute risk of developing diabetes than low- or medium-risk individuals with weak muscles.
This suggests that building muscle may be a powerful way to counteract inherited risk and that lifestyle choices can make a meaningful difference, even when your DNA stacks the odds against you.
The takeaway
Your genes may shape your risk for type 2 diabetes, but they don’t get the final say. This study adds to growing evidence that building muscle can play a meaningful role in protecting your metabolic health, even if you’re genetically predisposed. The good news? Muscle strength is something you can actively improve.
Grip strength, the measure used in the study, responds well to regular resistance training and functional movement—think lifting weights, carrying groceries, or doing pushups. Whether you’re managing a known risk or simply aiming to stay strong as you age, prioritizing strength could be one of the most powerful things you do for your long-term health.