May 2022 Newsletter | Strength and Lean Muscle Mass
My mission is to be the first woman in 4 generations to not develop Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). On my journey of discovering ways to mitigate my risk, I pass this information on to you in this Brain-Body-Health (BBH) Newsletter.
LESSONS FROM BRAIN-BODY-HEALTH
My mission with BBH has been to save every brain cell I can, grow new ones in the process, and provide you with information to navigate towards preventing dementia. I want to be the first daughter in four generations of my family to not be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)! (See APOE4 Betty’s family AD story). I believe the healthier I am in mind, body, and spirit, the greater chance I have of preventing AD.
This month I’m focused on strength and lean muscle mass (LMM), two significant indicators of healthy aging. I’m learning that the RDA recommendations for protein (.5-.8 gm/kg body weight) are based on survival, not on thriving. Aging bodies need more protein, especially after age 50. The recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACMS) is 1gm/kg. However, if you are exercising regularly, ACSM recommends increasing to 1.2-1.7 gm/kg. Research supports lean muscle mass (LMM) is inversely proportional to your risk of mortality after age 50. Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass that is gradual, beginning after age 30 and accelerating after age 60. LMM diminishes with age by about 1-2% beginning at age 50. If you are losing 20% of your muscle mass by age 70, you are losing cells that communicate between the brain and body. That is not good for your brain or your body. In addition to aging, sarcopenia is accelerated by low physical activity, insufficient calorie and protein intake, hormonal changes, inflammation, and stress. Sarcopenia has been linked to metabolic problems like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. It is strongly related to falls and overall frailty, so it’s an important factor to address as you get older.
LESSONS FROM YOUR COACH
Strategies to prevent muscle loss:
Daily protein intake based on age and activity (.8gm/kg- 2gm/kg)
Do Resistance Training (RT) 2-3 x/week. Enlist the help of a personal trainer
Keep Vitamin D3 levels between 50-60 ng/mL
Aerobic exercise 5 days/week for 30-60 minutes
Consider protein shakes—I’m experimenting with whey protein concentrate/ isolate, grass-fed. Avoid sucralose, aspartame, and natural flavors (unregulated)
LESSONS FROM SCIENCE
Grip strength is a sign of all-cause cardiovascular mortality
Just a 2-week reduction in activity reduces muscle mass
Nutritional supplements in support of resistance training
For a deep dive: Peter Attia’s interview with Layne Norton #205 on muscle building. On the podcast: “The Drive”. This is my current favorite podcast.
To our optimized health!
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“If you want to go FAST, go alone. If you want to go FAR, go together."
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