Ageing with Grace: Addressing Anabolic Resistance for a Fuller Life

1. Exercise: Regular resistance training, involving both heavy and light loads, plays a pivotal role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, increasing muscle mass, and enhancing insulin sensitivity. Incorporating compound movements into your workouts, such as squats, deadlifts, and presses, can yield significant benefits.

Did you know that resistance training is a key tool for health and longevity? Do you engage in regular resistance training? If not, are you motivated to start incorporating it into your routine?

2. Distribute Protein Intake Evenly Throughout the Day: Distributing protein intake evenly throughout the day is essential for promoting muscle health and overall metabolic balance. Research conducted by Maria Arno in France showed that if a meal contained less than 45 grams of protein, the net daily muscle protein synthesis was lower, leading to reduced lean body mass over time. This underscores the significance of distributing protein intake across meals to optimize muscle health.

3. Optimize Protein Intake: Consuming sufficient protein is vital for muscle health. Current recommendations for daily protein intake in most older individuals are 1.2–1.5 grams protein/kilogram body weight (or 1.2–1.5 grams protein/kilogram body weight if individuals suffer from obesity or are overweight).

Recent research has shed light on the importance of protein timing and meal distribution and revealed that individuals aged 25 or younger required only 15 grams of protein per meal to stimulate muscle protein synthesis effectively. However, in older adults, around 35 grams of protein per meal were needed to achieve the same effect. This indicates a minimum threshold of approximately 30-35 grams of protein per meal for optimizing protein synthesis in adults.

Additionally, the essential amino acid leucine, found in protein-rich foods, serves as a crucial signal for muscle protein synthesis. To achieve the minimum protein threshold required for optimal muscle protein synthesis, approximately 2.5 to 2.7 grams of leucine per meal are necessary. Including protein-rich meals throughout the day, especially a protein-rich breakfast after an overnight fast, can boost muscle protein synthesis and offset anabolic resistance.

An important consideration regarding protein intake is the protein source. Studies have shown that animal-based proteins are more effective in achieving a muscle protein synthesis response than plant-based proteins. While plant proteins can provide essential amino acids, they may lack some amino acids or have them in lower quantities as is the case with Leucine. Additionally, plant proteins may not be as easily digestible as animal-based proteins and often have lower bioavailability which can affect nutrient absorption in a plant-based diet.

If you are following a plant-based diet, you may need to consume higher amounts of plant proteins, incorporate a variety of plant-based protein sources and consider supplementation when necessary to compensate for differences in protein synthesis and ensure complete amino acid profiles. To enhance bioavailability, you can pair plant-based protein sources with foods rich in vitamin C, which can improve iron absorption, or consume fortified plant-based products to increase nutrient availability.

How do you plan to ensure you meet your protein needs and incorporate protein-rich meals throughout the day?

To help you optimize your daily protein intake, I have created a table comparing the content of leucine, protein and energy per 100 g of different foods, you can download it here.