Day 281 of 365 - Protein, Muscle and Aging
When we think about protein and muscle, the first image that may come to mind is a young athlete or body builder. We might not have considered the role of protein in maintaining or building muscle as we age.
There has been lots of emphasis in recent years on decreasing our carbohydrate intake. As well, many, including me, have recommended increasing our intake of healthy fats to support our physical function. Fat remains a controversial nutrient for many. So, while all the controversy continues over fat and carbohydrates, a discussion of protein has been given lower priority.
When I was eating a ketogenic type diet, the proportion of fats was supposed to be higher than protein and carbs were to be the lowest proportion. I got used to measuring my portions, usually eating only a few ounces of protein, for example with dinner. I'm no longer following that diet or measuring portions, but I did get used to smaller portions of protein.
Protein has always been considered an important nutrient. It is the essential building block for everything in our body. It is the amino acids from protein in our diet that provide those essential components. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of protein is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This is the minimum required to stay healthy.
If you have read my previous posts, you may recall that in one I spoke about the incidence of muscle atrophy or wasting as a natural effect of aging. This reduction in muscle compromises both physical function and metabolic processes. Low levels of muscular fitness is a major risk factor for illness and mortality from all causes. I spoke in that other post about the importance of both resistance and endurance exercise to improve muscle mass. It turns out that dietary protein supplementation is important as we age too.
One cross-sectional study of more than 1000 subjects age 50 or older, found that hand grip strength is a more useful marker of risk of death from any cause, than age. Muscle strength is a modifiable risk factor at any age. Resistance training is effective even in the very elderly.
What has also been found is, that muscle can additionally be enhanced by a protein rich diet. There are actually higher protein requirements due to the many factors of aging. This does not just include the natural gradual muscle wasting, but also the impact of inflammation or any disease processes that may be going on, among other changing physiological functions. This was a surprise to me, and may be to you as well.
An international study group called PROT-AGE, recommends that people over 65 eat at least 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to help maintain and regain lean body mass and function. Both endurance and resistance exercise are recommended. Even higher protein intake is suggested for those who are regularly exercising and active, or for those who have acute or chronic illness.
This may seem like counter-intuitive advice. You might think that as we get older we need to eat less overall. However, it seems that our bodies need this extra protein to make up for the deficiencies in the effectiveness of our metabolism and system functions as we age. One suggestion was that older adults need 30 - 50 grams of protein per meal.
Continuing to build muscle as we age is important. Protein is required for that. Conversely, muscle is needed to help break down protein for other metabolic functions. It's a two way street. We can better maintain our health by keeping up muscle strength and mass, as well as eating enough protein to support all our body functions and maintain that muscle.
Protein is contained in many vegetables, in nuts, seeds, beans, dairy products, meat and fish. Nutritional trackers can tell you how many grams of protein there are in a serving. For example, there are 26 gm. of protein in 3 oz. of cooked chicken, 27 gm. of protein in 4 oz. of cooked salmon, 6 gm. of protein in one large egg, 8 gm. of protein in half a cup of black beans, 11 gm. protein in half a cup of tofu, 7 gm. protein in 2 tbsp. peanut butter, 23 gm. protein in a cup of Greek yogurt. If you are serious about tracking your nutrients, use the free online nutritional tracker which I've mentioned in the past, Cronometer.
One of the other current controversies is about what form of protein to eat. There is a current trend to eat more plant based protein than meat protein for overall health. Usually, more volume of food is required to get the right amount of protein from plant based foods, so that requires more careful monitoring of say, the carbohydrate load that may go along with that. It is an individual choice. What we want to be mindful of is the quality of that protein, whether it is animal or plant based. There are also amino acid supplements available for those unable to eat the recommended higher allowances of protein. These provide the necessary building blocks to create it. Then, there are also the traditional protein shake powders too, for those who like that option.
So, maybe it's back to the drawing board regarding not just exercise, but also nutrient proportions, especially protein to keep our bodies working optimally as we advance in age.
There has been lots of emphasis in recent years on decreasing our carbohydrate intake. As well, many, including me, have recommended increasing our intake of healthy fats to support our physical function. Fat remains a controversial nutrient for many. So, while all the controversy continues over fat and carbohydrates, a discussion of protein has been given lower priority.
When I was eating a ketogenic type diet, the proportion of fats was supposed to be higher than protein and carbs were to be the lowest proportion. I got used to measuring my portions, usually eating only a few ounces of protein, for example with dinner. I'm no longer following that diet or measuring portions, but I did get used to smaller portions of protein.
Protein has always been considered an important nutrient. It is the essential building block for everything in our body. It is the amino acids from protein in our diet that provide those essential components. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of protein is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This is the minimum required to stay healthy.
If you have read my previous posts, you may recall that in one I spoke about the incidence of muscle atrophy or wasting as a natural effect of aging. This reduction in muscle compromises both physical function and metabolic processes. Low levels of muscular fitness is a major risk factor for illness and mortality from all causes. I spoke in that other post about the importance of both resistance and endurance exercise to improve muscle mass. It turns out that dietary protein supplementation is important as we age too.
One cross-sectional study of more than 1000 subjects age 50 or older, found that hand grip strength is a more useful marker of risk of death from any cause, than age. Muscle strength is a modifiable risk factor at any age. Resistance training is effective even in the very elderly.
What has also been found is, that muscle can additionally be enhanced by a protein rich diet. There are actually higher protein requirements due to the many factors of aging. This does not just include the natural gradual muscle wasting, but also the impact of inflammation or any disease processes that may be going on, among other changing physiological functions. This was a surprise to me, and may be to you as well.
An international study group called PROT-AGE, recommends that people over 65 eat at least 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to help maintain and regain lean body mass and function. Both endurance and resistance exercise are recommended. Even higher protein intake is suggested for those who are regularly exercising and active, or for those who have acute or chronic illness.
This may seem like counter-intuitive advice. You might think that as we get older we need to eat less overall. However, it seems that our bodies need this extra protein to make up for the deficiencies in the effectiveness of our metabolism and system functions as we age. One suggestion was that older adults need 30 - 50 grams of protein per meal.
Continuing to build muscle as we age is important. Protein is required for that. Conversely, muscle is needed to help break down protein for other metabolic functions. It's a two way street. We can better maintain our health by keeping up muscle strength and mass, as well as eating enough protein to support all our body functions and maintain that muscle.
Protein is contained in many vegetables, in nuts, seeds, beans, dairy products, meat and fish. Nutritional trackers can tell you how many grams of protein there are in a serving. For example, there are 26 gm. of protein in 3 oz. of cooked chicken, 27 gm. of protein in 4 oz. of cooked salmon, 6 gm. of protein in one large egg, 8 gm. of protein in half a cup of black beans, 11 gm. protein in half a cup of tofu, 7 gm. protein in 2 tbsp. peanut butter, 23 gm. protein in a cup of Greek yogurt. If you are serious about tracking your nutrients, use the free online nutritional tracker which I've mentioned in the past, Cronometer.
One of the other current controversies is about what form of protein to eat. There is a current trend to eat more plant based protein than meat protein for overall health. Usually, more volume of food is required to get the right amount of protein from plant based foods, so that requires more careful monitoring of say, the carbohydrate load that may go along with that. It is an individual choice. What we want to be mindful of is the quality of that protein, whether it is animal or plant based. There are also amino acid supplements available for those unable to eat the recommended higher allowances of protein. These provide the necessary building blocks to create it. Then, there are also the traditional protein shake powders too, for those who like that option.
So, maybe it's back to the drawing board regarding not just exercise, but also nutrient proportions, especially protein to keep our bodies working optimally as we advance in age.
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