A recent study has found that statins may help slow down chest muscle loss in current and former smokers, while aspirin may do the opposite—possibly speeding up muscle loss.
These findings are especially important for people with chronic lung disease, such as COPD, who already face a higher risk of losing muscle over time.
The study was published in the January 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.
It focused on how two common medications—statins, used to lower cholesterol, and aspirin, often taken to protect the heart—affect muscle health in a high-risk group: people who smoke or used to smoke.
Smoking is a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious lung condition that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD makes breathing harder and affects more than 30 million people in the U.S.
It is also the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. One lesser-known problem in people with COPD is muscle loss, especially in the chest. When muscles weaken, it can make breathing and everyday tasks even more difficult.
To understand how medications affect muscle health, researchers used chest scans from 4,191 participants in the COPDGene study, a long-term research project that looks at the genetics and effects of COPD. They measured pectoral (chest) muscle size and density at two different times to see if the muscles got smaller or weaker over time.
The lead researcher, Dr. Toru Shirahata from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, explained the motivation behind the study.
“Smokers and former smokers often have heart disease and diabetes, so they are commonly prescribed statins and aspirin. By studying their effects on chest muscle, we found that statins may help reduce muscle loss, while aspirin could contribute to more muscle loss.”
This finding could help doctors better manage the long-term health of patients with a history of smoking, especially those with COPD. Since muscle loss in COPD patients can lead to worse health and poorer quality of life, understanding how everyday medications affect muscle is an important step in personalizing care.
It’s important to remember, though, that this study only looked at images of muscles and cannot prove that statins directly protect muscle or that aspirin directly causes harm.
The researchers did not look at exercise, diet, or other possible factors that might affect muscle size. More studies will be needed to confirm the results and understand why aspirin might be linked to greater muscle loss.
Still, these early findings suggest that statins could offer some unexpected muscle benefits, while the risks of aspirin may need to be reconsidered for people with COPD or a history of smoking. Doctors may eventually look for new ways to manage both heart health and muscle health at the same time, especially in older adults.
This research is a reminder that medications can have effects beyond their original purpose, and that careful choices in treatment could help protect patients in more ways than one.
If you’re concerned about muscle health, it’s worth talking to your doctor about how your medications, lifestyle, and diet might be affecting your strength—especially as you get older or if you have a history of smoking.
The full study is available in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.
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.
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