Muscle matters: Why your strength is key to lifelong health

Muscle health is about more than just fitness — it’s about staying well, active and independent throughout your life.

Dr Mark Burton, a researcher at the University of Southampton, is working to help people understand how important muscle is for everyday health.

He has recently completed a bridging fellowship at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. Now, he's set to start a fellowship funded by the Vivensa Foundation.

What is sarcopenia?

Dr Burton studies sarcopenia, a condition where people lose muscle strength, size and function as they age. This can lead to problems like:

• Feeling weak or tired

• Increased risk of falls

• Difficulty doing everyday tasks

• Higher chances of developing conditions like diabetes and obesity

“Muscle is often forgotten when we talk about health,” says Dr Burton. “But it’s vital for everything — from getting out of bed to walking and staying active.”

Learning through hands-on activities

To help people learn more, Dr Burton runs outreach activities at events like the Southampton Science and Engineering Festival (SOTSEF).

One popular activity initially developed by staff from the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre (MRC LEC) is the Grip Strength Challenge. You squeeze a device to measure your grip strength, then compare your score with others your age. This helps show how muscle strength changes over time - growing during your teens, peaking in your 20s, and slowly declining as you get older.

“It’s a great way to start conversations,” says Dr Burton. “People see their results and begin thinking about how to stay strong.”

Your lifestyle affects your genes

Dr Burton also studies epigenetics — how your environment and lifestyle can affect how your genes work. Even identical twins can end up with very different health outcomes depending on how they live.

“Muscle is something you can improve,” he says. “Even small changes now can have a big impact later in life.”

To show this, Dr Burton and his team created a health maze. It’s a game where you guide a ball through different lifestyle choices. Healthy decisions lead to strength and resilience, while poor choices increase the risk of muscle problems.

“An important factor of muscle is that it's something people can actively improve," he says.

"What you do earlier in life as well as throughout the lifecourse can have a lasting impact.

"It’s like saving money – small deposits over time add up. Eventually, you realise you can invest in something more meaningful. It teaches people that they can influence their future health risks and it is never too late to start this process.”

Why public engagement matters

Dr Burton’s work doesn’t just help the public - it also supports his research. Talking to people at events has helped him explain his science more clearly and secure funding for future studies.

“It’s important that research benefits everyone,” he says. “These events help us learn from the public and share useful information.”

Dr Burton's outreach activities have been collaborative efforts, supported by groups including the MyAge Research Network and the MRC LEC.