Anabolic Resistance
Anabolic resistance, the importance of protein and strength training
Anabolic resistance, what is it?
As a person ages, their muscle tissue is less sensitive to amino acids (protein), and when the muscle tissue can’t effectively use those amino acids, new muscle synthesis becomes challenging.
Anabolic resistance is the result of 2 very important factors, 1) not enough protein in the diet 2) not enough physical activity.
Again, insufficient protein and not enough strength training.
First, protein:
Keep your protein intake high when trying to build (or even sustain) muscle mass. I typically don’t shy away from advocating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. If you are overweight or obese, do not use this calculation. This calculation is more appropriate for your target weight.
The RDA guideline of 0.8 g protein/kg body weight is extremely low, and there is major discussion to increase it to a more reasonable 1.2 g protein /kg body weight, but even at that level, that would be a minimum recommendation. In order to gain muscle in an aging or peri- post menopausal body, you will need 1.6g protein/kg of body weight, right alongside your strength training.
This may feel like a full time job, and this is one of the only times in a person’s life where I like to use a protein supplement, and definitely creatine and leucine supplementation.
In order for an adult to get the same amount of muscle growth as a younger person, the older adult needs to double the amino acid/protein intake. (This is because of the anabolic resistance.) This is undebatable and reproducible in many studies.
Now let’s talk about activity.
Reminder: Muscles are generated by mechanical force (movement/strength training) and amino acids (optimal protein intake).
Do you know that only 32% of (older and younger) adults engage in resistance training? And only 22 % of older adults engage in resistance training?
Key Point, Take Home, Public Health Alert:
Adults (any age) that engage in resistance training have the same capacity to build muscle as a younger person. Physical activity offsets anabolic resistance!
Translation: in older people, muscle building is achievable, given adequate protein intake and resistance training.
One more pearl before I leave this topic, this is about our reserves and why sarcopenia occurs so rapidly, oftentimes without us even knowing about it.
We can store fats and fatty acids in our body (triglycerides), and call upon it when fasting, recovering from injury, illness or surgery.
We can store glucose and carbohydrates in our body (as glycogen) and call upon it when fasting, recovering from injury, illness or surgery.
But the only place we store amino acids (in the form of amino acids) is in skeletal muscles. And we pull from that storage everyday because every function in our body requires protein. So, we have to be giving ourselves a daily dose of amino acids in order to carry out all of those functions. There isn’t a rainy day fund of amino acids like there is for fats and glucose. When we draw too heavily on skeletal muscle protein storage, without dietary replacement, we start breaking down muscle. And because the muscle is already breaking down as part of aging, and during even short periods of inactivity, this has major consequence, AKA sarcopenia and fragility.
For most people , I recommend 30 grams of protein per meal. Calculate your body weight (your target or ideal body weight) in kilograms (divide your pounds by 2.2), and then multiply by 1.6. That is a great protein goal for you.
Another way to support your muscle building strength training program is with creatine supplementation.
Loading: 10-20 mg per day for 5-7 days. Loading prior to luteal phase (if still cycling) may be helpful.
Maintenance: 3-5 grams (or even up to 10 grams) per day
Bon Appetite!
And for the peri-post menopausal exercise prescription, click here!
