Podcast Summary
Importance of muscle health in old age: Muscle growth is possible at any age, muscle is an essential organ for longevity, resistance training plays a more significant role in muscle growth, and muscle health is crucial for preventing and surviving various diseases.
It's never too late to build muscle and get stronger, even in old age. Contrary to popular belief, muscle can be grown and skeletal muscle is an essential organ for longevity. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, also known as the "muscle doc," emphasizes this concept in her book, "Forever Strong." While both dietary protein and resistance training are important for muscle growth, resistance training plays a more significant role. Dr. Lyon's new concept, muscle centric medicine, highlights the importance of muscle health in preventing and surviving various diseases. Muscle is often overlooked as an organ, but it plays a crucial role in overall health and longevity.
Understanding Muscle Span: Building, Maintaining, and Preventing Muscle Loss: Muscle span, a new concept, includes building muscle during youth, maintaining it in midlife, and preventing age-related muscle wasting. It's never too late to build muscle and improve strength, even in older age. Lifestyle choices impact muscle health, and promoting muscle health can improve overall health and potentially increase lifespan.
Muscle span, the amount of years you have healthy skeletal muscle, is a new concept that expands beyond lifespan and health span. It consists of three parts: building muscle during youth, maintaining it in midlife, and preventing age-related muscle wasting (sarcopenia) in the later years. Contrary to popular belief, it's never too late to build muscle and improve strength, even in older age. Sarcopenia can be caused by both genetic factors and lifestyle choices, such as decreased physical activity and sedentary behavior. Preventing muscle loss and promoting muscle health throughout life can help maintain overall health and potentially reduce the risk of mortality.
Youth onset of muscle span loss and sarcopenia: Early prevention of muscle loss through diet and exercise could benefit children as young as 5th or 6th grade due to potential earlier onset of muscle span loss and sarcopenia, which may be influenced by sedentary behaviors and poor nutrition.
Muscle span and sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass, may have a youth phenotype, meaning it can start much earlier than previously thought. Indications suggest that sedentary behaviors and nutrition may contribute to this issue. Prevention through diet and exercise could be beneficial if implemented earlier, potentially 5 to 10 years before traditional interventions like menopause or testosterone decrease. A striking example of this issue was observed in a CrossFit gym's community outreach program where 30% of relatively healthy 6th or 7th graders couldn't squat down and touch their butt to a 12-inch box without assistance. This highlights the importance of addressing physical fitness and conditioning in children, as the rate of childhood obesity continues to rise, affecting nearly 45% of prepubescent children.
Understanding Muscle Span for Healthy Aging: To maintain muscle health and function during aging, incorporate daily movement and resistance training, along with adequate dietary protein.
Muscle span, the length of time we have healthy skeletal muscle, is crucial for healthy aging. Contrary to popular belief, muscle is not just a cosmetic concern but a functional organ. As we age, we experience catabolic crises, periods of intense muscle damage, which can lead to muscle loss if not counteracted. Resistance training is the primary stimulus for muscle growth and maintenance, but it must be accompanied by adequate dietary protein. Even older adults can improve their muscle span by incorporating daily movement and resistance training, which sensitizes muscles to protein synthesis. This hormetic response allows older muscles to engage in hypertrophy and hyperplasia, responding to dietary protein like younger muscles and overcoming anabolic resistance. In essence, combining resistance training with proper nutrition is key to maintaining healthy muscle and muscle function as we age.
Ensuring Sufficient Protein Intake as We Age: As we age, our protein needs increase due to impaired protein turnover. High-quality protein and adequate intake of specific amino acids are essential. All protein is broken down into amino acids and used as building blocks for various structures in the body. Vegetarians and vegans may need to supplement to ensure adequate intake.
As we age, it becomes increasingly important to ensure we are consuming enough protein to support the body's impaired protein turnover. Current recommendations are based on young, healthy adults, and do not take into account the need for high-quality protein or the various amino acids required. Impaired protein turnover affects all structures in the body, and as we age, the body becomes less efficient at assembling protein from amino acids. Therefore, if we are deficient in amino acids, the body cannot effectively assemble protein. It is a common misconception that we can target specific tissues in the body with protein intake, but in reality, all protein is broken down into amino acids and used as building blocks for various structures in the body. For those following vegetarian or vegan diets, it may be necessary to supplement with protein or specific amino acids to ensure adequate intake. The concept of a meal threshold or amino acid threshold targeted at skeletal muscle may be beneficial for optimizing protein intake.
Maximizing Muscle Growth with Protein: Consume 55g protein per meal for muscle growth, 1g/lb ideal body weight daily, focus on essential amino acid leucine, plant proteins need more, quality matters, and essential nutrients like creatine, zinc, and B12 support muscle health.
Consuming around 55 grams of protein, specifically with an emphasis on the essential amino acid leucin, maximally stimulates muscle growth. However, for overall health benefits, consuming more than 55 grams of protein per meal may not provide additional muscle benefits but can ensure the body absorbs all the protein. Plant proteins can also be sufficient, but one may need to consume more and aim for 1.6 to 1.8 grams per kg due to their lower bioavailability and different amino acid profiles. To optimize muscle health, a daily intake of 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight is recommended. The quality of protein sources is also crucial, and plant proteins can stimulate muscle growth, but more is required. Additionally, nutrients like creatine, zinc, and B12 play essential roles in muscle health and brain function. Aging individuals should focus on a nutrient-dense diet to maintain muscle health and overall well-being.
Considering Dietary Needs and Protein Intake for Vegans and Vegetarians as We Age: As we age, vegans and vegetarians need to ensure adequate protein intake, possibly through supplementation, and focus on overall fitness and functional movements for a better quality of life.
As we age, it becomes more important to carefully consider our dietary needs, especially when it comes to protein intake for those following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. It's not impossible to maintain such diets as we age, but it may require supplementation to ensure adequate protein intake. Additionally, focusing on overall fitness and functional movements, including tendon health, is crucial throughout all stages of life. You can find more information and resources from Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at doctorgabrielleine.com, including her podcast, book, and remote clinic. Remember, the goal is to train for a better quality of life, not just better exercise.