As individuals age there are hormonal changes that result in diminishing muscle mass. One of these changes for both men and women are falling testosterone levels. Muscle mass is inversely associated with mortality and although the cause and effect is not fully understood, those who maintain adequate amounts of skeletal muscle into old age appear to maintain a higher quality of life and achieve better health outcomes. Weight training has been shown to cause significant improvements in muscle mass even in elderly individuals, and with this comes other benefits such as improved flexibility, improved mobility and improved metabolic function. Supplemental dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may also help improve muscle mass when combined with resistance training. This relates to the fact that DHEA levels decline with age, and DHEA is a precursor to steroid hormones such as testosterone. However, when taken without weight training, DHEA may not provide any benefits to muscle mass.
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