BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A new study conducted at the California Pacific Medical Center has found that seniors with low muscle density are at a higher risk of being hospitalized.

The findings, published in the Journal of American Geriatric Society, followed 3,000 seniors between 70 and 80 years old for a period of five years.

The researchers found that the amount of fat compared to lean muscle tissue -- also known as muscle density -- is the most accurate way to gauge an elderly person's risk of hospitalization.

Seniors with low levels of muscle mass had a 50 percent greater chance of needing hospitalization than their more muscular peers.

While doctors have previously used muscle size as a measure of muscle loss in older adults, the study showed that simple indicators of muscle density -- such as walking speed --were cheaper, easier and more accurate at assessing future medical needs.

Age-related muscle loss afflicts 1 out of every 5 Americans over the age of 65 and can lead to disability and hospitalization.

The study's authors believed that exercise programs focusing on muscle density could result in fewer seniors ending up in the hospital.