More news about maintaining muscle and protein

More news about maintaining muscle mass and protein consumption to keep you healthy and eating well.

Protein and ageing

One common misconception about ageing is that we need more protein to maintain muscle mass. It seems reasonable to believe that eating a higher protein diet will be protective against muscle loss.

Muscle loss, or sarcopenia, leads to more injuries, falls, functional decline, frailty, reduced quality of life, and higher healthcare costs. All of which are mostly avoidable.

If losing muscle mass is preventable, and strength training is important for maintaining muscle, wouldn’t it also help to eat more protein?

The evidence suggests otherwise.

A new study with more than 3,000 sets of twins, with 89% women, over the age of 60, compared protein intake and muscle mass revealed unexpected results.

Even when adjusting for many other variables that affect muscle mass, including education, income, body weight, healthy eating and more, eating a high protein diet (>1.3 g/kg/day) from animal sources was associated with sarcopenia. The recommended amount of dietary protein is between 0.8 and 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.

Higher intake of animal protein increases muscle loss

Another recent study that followed adults over 60 years old for twelve years also showed a negative effect of high protein intake from animal sources.

The more animal protein, the lower the health-related quality of life and physical abilities. Including a reduction in leg strength!

Leg strength is critical for balance, mobility and brain health.

How Exercise Can Improve Your Focus

Unintended consequences

There is growing evidence that eating too much protein comes with other health consequences, including increased risk of coronary artery disease, cancer, renal and liver disorders, bone loss and calcium malabsorption. There is also evidence that restricting protein improves our health span.

Is it all in our guts?

There is also more evidence that our gut health is directly related to the health of our muscle tissue. Individuals with low gut microbiota diversity have reduced muscle strength. The researchers also suggested that gut health may be critical for muscle maintenance. Eating a high animal protein diet reduces gut diversity and gut health.

Is your diet ageing you?

Key points to remember

1. Muscle is a vital sign. It is critical for health and longevity.
2. More animal protein will not improve muscle mass.
3. Gut health is critical for overall health.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla