Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) — the density of a person’s muscles used to power the movement of their skeleton — is a key factor in determining their life expectancy, according to a study published on Monday by the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI).
Elderly people who have lower SMM measurements might face double the risk of death compared with their peers, the study said.
The study was conducted over a nine-year period, beginning in 1999. It tracked the SMM and body-mass index (BMI) measurements of 1,512 elderly people to determine if there was any correlation between the two figures and the risk of death. Results of the survey showed that elderly people with the highest BMI rating had the least risk of death, while underweight senior citizens faced the highest risk.
The study grouped the test subjects into four categories according to their BMI measurements. Those with a BMI less than 22 were classified as underweight; 22 to 24 as average; and 24 to 27 as overweight, while those with a BMI above 27 were categorized as obese.
The mortality rate for underweight elderly people was 6.72 percent, while the risk of death for the three other BMI categories ranged from 3.76 to 3.5 percent.
The institutes urged the public to stop fixating on BMI as an indicator of good health, adding that ideal SMM should be lower than 11.4kg per cubic meter for men and 8.6kg per cubic meter for women.
Exercising regularly is the best solution to prevent the onset of muscle mass loss, which commences at an annual rate of 1 to 2 percent after the age of 40 and accelerates after 50, the NHRI said.
It also recommended that elderly people eat ample amounts of protein from healthy food sources to help replenish dwindling muscle, adding that vegetables help reduce muscle inflammation.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS