Muscle is now recognized as an essential organ for health at every stage of life, from before birth and into old age. It lies at the heart of major challenges facing modern societies: preventing common, serious and disabling conditions; combating sedentary lifestyles; adapting to changing ways of living; supporting ageing and independence; and driving therapeutic innovation. To strengthen this awareness and turn it into concrete public policies, the Institute of Myology, an international center of expertise on muscles and its diseases, together with AFM-Telethon are is organizing the 2nd Muscle Conference on June 2 at the Ministry of Health.
Physical inactivity* is estimated to cost French society €140 billion per year**. This major cost could be drastically reduced if muscle health and the care required to maintain it were better taken into account. At every stage of life, muscle plays a key role: from childhood, it develops and influences both motor and cognitive development. In adulthood, healthy muscles help fight chronic diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, etc.) and musculoskeletal disorders, and reduce the risk of cancer recurrence… Later in life, muscle becomes a crucial safeguard against loss of independence by reducing the risk of falls – the leading cause of death among people the over 65 – and slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
However, this muscle capital is now under threat: teenagers are less active – only 34.2% of middle-school students in their first year achieve a satisfactory endurance levels – adults are too sedentary – only 5% engage in enough physical activity to provide protective benefits – and over 80% of older adults are highly sedentary.
At a time when health challenges are on the rise, the recent awareness – driven by advances in myology, the science of muscle – must now be translated into concrete action across all fields (medicine and biomedical research, prevention, education, workplace organization, urban planning, etc.) and turned into tangible public policy. This is the challenge that experts in health, labor, sports and ageing will address during the 2026 Muscle Conference on June 2 at the Ministry of Health, through three round-table discussions:
→ Muscle, from before birth to the end of adolescence… a lifelong asset
→ An active life… not so active! Maintaining and developing muscle capital
→ Older age: a health and societal challenge. Preserving muscle capital and the challenges of muscle reconditioning
* Physical inactivity is defined as an insufficient level of moderate- and/or high-intensity endurance physical activity does not meet the WHO health recommendations
** France Stratégie report, 2022
|
Press conference – June 1 at 4pm Institut de Myologie – 52, boulevard Vincent Auriol, 75013 Paris
|
