True or False: When someone stops exercising, their muscle turns into fat.

The statement that muscle turns into fat when someone stops exercising is false. Muscle and fat are two distinct types of tissue in the body with different functions and characteristics. When a person stops exercising, they may experience a reduction in muscle mass due to a lack of regular stimulus for muscle maintenance and growth. Concurrently, without physical activity, it’s common for individuals to decrease their overall energy expenditure, which can lead to an increased storage of fat if caloric intake is not adjusted.

While muscle may diminish and body fat may increase, one does not convert into the other. Instead, the changes in body composition reflect a reduction in physical activity leading to muscle atrophy and an increase in fat accumulation if dietary habits remain unchanged. Understanding this distinction is crucial, particularly when advising seniors on the importance of maintaining both physical activity and a healthy diet to mitigate age-related changes in body composition.