Over 70% of Indians have poor muscle health: Study

New Delhi : Seven out of 10 middle-aged people in India have poor muscle health, key to an active lifestyle and can impact health and wellness, finds a survey.

The survey, led by InBody -- a global leader in body composition analysis -- in association with France based IPSOS global market research, showed that more than 71 per cent of males and females in the age group of 30-50 in the country need to gain more muscle mass.

Further, 68 per cent of Indians were found to have lower body protein content than the required levels, leading to poor muscle health.

Poor muscle mass could lead to impaired muscle function, fatigue and poor metabolic health, the researchers said.

The team analysed data from 1,243 people aged between 30-55 years from eight Indian cities including, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna and Hyderabad.

Lucknow scored the highest percentage of males and females having poor muscle mass, with 82 per cent of males and 80 per cent of females.

On the other hand, Delhi-NCR had the lowest percentage of people with poor muscle mass, with 64 per cent of both males and females.

The experts explained that protein plays an important role in nutrition and the present research acknowledges the importance of protein in daily diet and exercise to maintain good muscle health.

Adequate intake of dietary proteins is vital for maintaining the muscle mass, as it ensures the provision of essential amino acids and stimulates protein synthesis.