Written by Marsha Seidelman, M.D.
October 6, 2024
Last week, we talked about how we all lose muscle mass naturally over time. This series is meant to encourage you to work against that tendency as early as possible. We can minimize the loss if we try!
Muscle tissue is in constant flux, being broken down and rebuilt constantly. When we have soreness after working out, our body is healing and increasing muscle fibers. The fuel for this process is protein. We eat protein, break it down to amino acids, then use those building blocks to create muscle protein. It’s important that you’re consuming enough protein to build, rather than lose, muscle.
Chicken and beef may be the protein sources that first come to mind, but note that plant proteins do just as well for building muscle mass and strength. Soybean products such as edamame, tofu and tempeh are excellent sources of protein, as are other beans, lentils, chickpeas and split peas, nuts and seeds and whole grains. Any meal can be protein-fortified with freezer or pantry staples like frozen edamames, or a can of beans or chickpeas. If plants can power a variety of animals as strong and fast as elephants, gazelles and horses, surely they can take care of us.
Think of your protein sources as ‘food packages’ – i.e. consider what else comes with the protein. In animal products, for instance, you also get a dose of unhealthy saturated fat, whereas with plants, there’s a supply of helpful anti-oxidants and fiber. There are differing opinions about the optimum daily protein intake. It should be about 0.4 grams of protein for each pound of your body weight, or more if you’re over 65 or doing more intense resistance exercise. If you’re not familiar with preparing plant-based protein dishes, see the references below for websites that can supply delicious recipes, and a table from Hopkins for protein content of foods.
Muscle cells are important as engines to use blood sugar for fuel, and to store sugar for future use. It’s important to preserve muscle mass to decrease the risk of:
- Type 2 diabetes onset (a combination of resistance and cardio exercise is best)
- Physical frailty (which eventually impacts the ability to take care of yourself)
- Metabolic syndrome (defined as elevated blood pressure, blood sugar, waist circumference and cholesterol/triglycerides)
- Osteoporosis
- Heart disease
- Premature death
What are some risk factors for muscle wasting besides age?
- Lack of physical activity – even for a short while with an illness, especially for older adults
- Nutritional deficiency – poor uptake and use of the protein we consume, not enough carbs for immediate energy
- Decreased appetite – this sometimes occurs as we age, resulting in poor nutrition
- Some chronic diseases – diabetes, chronic lung disease, cancer, HIV, kidney disease
- Hormonal changes – decreasing estrogen and testosterone as we age, increased cortisol with stress
- Genetics
- Certain medications – steroids, and some meds for diabetes and oncology that can interfere with creating new muscle
- Chronic inflammation – many factors, including poor sleep, ultraprocessed food …
If there’s one takeaway, it’s that you can stabilize or even increase your muscle fibers with consistent resistance exercises at any age, provided your nutrition is good! In general, this will also be good for your bone density, your heart, blood sugars, sleep, energy, quality of life, emotional and physical health. Focus on activity and adequate protein and see Part One of this Sarcopenia series to get ideas about how to move. There will be some more information about various exercises including retro-walking next week!
REFERENCES:
www.loveandlemons.com – plant-based recipes
www.cookieandkate.com – plant-based recipes
Lady Docs recipes – varied recipes
Table showing the protein content of foods – from Johns Hopkins University
Tags: muscle loss, protein, resistance exercise, sarcopenia
“It should be about 0.4 grams of protein for each pound of your body weight, or more if you’re over 65 or doing more intense resistance exercise. “
Could you be more specific? Or more if you are over 65. How much more?
Or if you are doing more intensive restate exercise.
Again, how much more? More intensive than what?
Hi Phyllis – thanks for this question. You caught me trying to find a middle ground. It’s actually a bit complicated because there are conflicting articles on this topic. The usual recommendation is for 0.4 grams per pound (or 0.8 grams per kg) of body weight. There was info suggesting that elderly people and weightlifters should go for 0.8 grams per pound. However, others found that the actual muscle fibers did not increase by MRI with this plan, and they noted that the beef industry was involved with the publication of the protein-positive data. A good summary of the findings (and an excellent website in general) can be found at https://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-increasing-protein-intake-slow-age-related-muscle-mass-loss/ by Dr. Michael Greger.
The bottom line is that resistance exercise is THE key for maintaining or building muscle. My take on the rest of it is that adequate protein intake is necessary, at the lower end. More protein probably won’t add anything, but if it’s plant protein, it shouldn’t hurt either, and I personally would aim for just slightly higher if the primary goal is to increase muscle. The issue about animal protein is that it travels with cholesterol and sodium, and has been linked to decline in kidney function, cardiovascular disease… In reality, I don’t count grams of protein. I’m mostly plant-based, and I do make sure to take in some combination of soy products, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds each day. It’s easy to get enough protein with only plants, but you do need to think about it. Thanks for contacting us! Marsha
Thank you. Your reply was very helpful. I too am mostly plant-based and do strength training with a trainer three times a week. I look forward to reading the third part of your article.