There Is a Distinct Age When Physical Abilities Decline Rapidly... From What Age Do Strength and Endurance Drop?

Findings from Sweden's Karolinska Institute
47-Year Longitudinal Study of the Same Participants
Muscular Strength and Endurance Begin to Decline from Age 35
Researchers: "Exercise Helps Maintain Physical Performance"

It has been found that physical capabilities such as fitness, muscular strength, and muscular endurance begin to decline around the age of 35. However, the study confirmed that even starting exercise in adulthood can have a positive effect on improving physical abilities.

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According to Science Daily on May 15 (local time), a research team from Sweden's Karolinska Institute reported in a paper published in the international journal, Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, that "fitness, muscular strength, and muscular endurance begin to decline around the age of 35, and physical activity helps slow down this rate of decline."

This study was conducted as part of the Sweden Physical Activity and Fitness Study (SPAF). The researchers repeatedly measured the fitness and muscular strength of 427 members of the Swedish general population (48% women) born in 1958, over approximately 47 years, from age 16 to 63.

Most previous studies have utilized cross-sectional surveys that compare different age groups. However, this study tracked the same participants repeatedly over several decades. The researchers explained that this approach enabled them to more clearly understand how the body changes during adulthood and old age.

The results showed that fitness began to decline around the age of 35, regardless of prior exercise experience. The extent of decline tended to increase as participants aged. Not only fitness, but also muscular strength and muscular endurance showed a similar decreasing trend.

However, the researchers also confirmed the effects of exercise. Participants who began physical activity after reaching adulthood experienced an improvement in physical ability by approximately 5 to 10%.

Maria Westerstahl, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute who led the study, stated, "It is never too late to start exercising." She added, "Physical activity can slow down the decline in performance, but it cannot completely prevent it."

The researchers plan to conduct additional follow-up studies when the participants reach the age of 68. Future research will analyze how lifestyle habits, health status, and biological factors influence changes in physical ability over a lifetime.

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