Mendelian Randomization Confirms Muscle Strength Causally Reduces Mortality Risk

What was said

"If we look at Mendelian randomization studies that look at the relationship between muscle mass and mortality, they do find at least partial causality rather than strength just being a proxy for general health. One study that looked at 350,000 Finnish biobank participants used a polygenic score as a proxy for grip strength and found that each standard deviation increase in grip strength from the polygenic score was linked to a reduction of risk for vascular dementia by 7%, obesity by 6%, 5% for type 2 diabetes, 4% per MACE, and 3% for all-cause mortality."

Using genetic data from 350,000 Finnish participants, researchers established that muscle strength isn't merely correlated with better health outcomes but causally reduces disease risk. The Mendelian randomization approach controls for confounding variables by examining genetic predispositions, demonstrating that strength itself—not just the healthy behaviors that accompany it—drives mortality reduction.