Muscle Mass
Muscle mass is the amount of skeletal muscle in your body — the tissue that burns energy at rest and is most at risk during rapid weight loss.
Plain English
Patient-Friendly Explanation
Muscle mass is the amount of skeletal muscle in your body. It burns energy at rest, supports movement and metabolism, and is the tissue most at risk during rapid weight loss.
Medical
Clinical Definition
Skeletal muscle mass is the principal component of fat-free mass and a primary determinant of resting energy expenditure. Age-related loss (sarcopenia) accelerates with inactivity and inadequate protein. During weight-loss interventions, resistance training and adequate protein intake (1.2–1.6 g/kg/day) attenuate muscle loss; preserving muscle is associated with better long-term weight maintenance and metabolic health.
Key Insight
Why It Matters
Muscle is metabolic tissue: the more you keep, the higher your resting burn and the better your glucose handling. A weight-loss plan that ignores muscle is a plan that gives the weight back.
Sources
Reviewed against standard medical references.
Medically reviewed by
Family Physician & Registered Acupuncturist, Accord Medical Clinic. MBBS (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture (Singapore College of TCM).
Last reviewed: August 2026
This page is general health education, not medical advice. Whether any treatment is appropriate for you is a decision made in consultation after assessment.
