A new study from Japan has found that the quality of your muscles—especially as measured by a simple test—may offer early clues about your risk of developing memory problems and other signs of cognitive decline.
This discovery could help people take action before symptoms of dementia even begin.
The study, published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, focused on people over the age of 40, a group often left out of dementia research.
Most previous studies have looked at elderly adults or people already experiencing memory loss.
But this new research aimed to understand how muscle health might relate to brain function much earlier in life, when prevention efforts can be most effective.
Led by Dr. Kentaro Ikeue from Doshisha University, the research team studied 263 adults from the general Japanese population.
They examined various aspects of muscle health—including muscle mass, strength, and a lesser-known measure called “phase angle.”
Phase angle is a reading taken through a simple electrical test and reflects the quality of a person’s muscle cells and overall cell health.
To test cognitive function, researchers used a tool called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which checks memory, attention, language, and problem-solving skills. They then looked for patterns between muscle measurements and brain function.
Among all the muscle-related measurements, phase angle stood out. People with higher phase angle scores—meaning better muscle quality—tended to have stronger memory and thinking skills.
This link was especially clear in women, where higher phase angle scores were connected not just to memory, but also to language, attention, and executive function. In men, the connection was mainly with memory.
This gender difference suggests that the relationship between muscle and brain health might work differently for men and women. The researchers believe hormones or other biological factors could play a role, but more study is needed.
What makes this finding even more important is how easy it is to measure phase angle. It’s a quick, non-invasive test that could be included in regular checkups. If more doctors began tracking muscle quality in this way, it might help identify people at risk of early cognitive decline—long before symptoms appear.
Dr. Ikeue says that improving muscle quality through exercise or nutrition could become a key strategy for protecting brain health. This study offers new insight into how our bodies and brains are connected and how paying attention to muscle health—even in midlife—could help prevent memory loss later on.
If you care about muscle, please read studies about factors that can cause muscle weakness in older people, and scientists find a way to reverse high blood sugar and muscle loss.
For more health information, please see recent studies about an easy, cheap way to maintain muscles, and results showing these vegetables essential for your muscle strength.
