The Official Aminogen Blog

Going Lean

... requires resistance exercise and a healthy protein intake, especially as we age.

Lean muscle mass plays an important but often-overlooked role in our health , and it's never too soon to start taking care of it.

 

For a Good Cause

Each year between the ages of 30 and 60 the average person can expect to lose one-half a pound of muscle, a process known as sarcopenia.  At the same time, the average person will also gain one pound of fat.

As the years go by, this shift in body composition really adds up. At some point between the ages of 50 and 75, an average person may have lost some 25 percent of their lean muscle mass. 

Sarcopenia can affect our immune systems, our risk of injuries and our ability to recover from them. It can also play a role in chronic conditions like diabetes and osteoporosis.

As we age it's important to resist this physiological entropy by maintaining and building our reserves of lean muscle and fighting off the fat.

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

 

Losing lean muscle can slow fat burning and muscle protein synthesis, therefore leading to further lean muscle loss. 

Lean muscle affects our metabolism in at least three ways:

 

Reduce 

Lean muscle is the largest location in the body where lipid oxidation, or fat burning, takes place.  Scientist think that less muscle can result in a diminished capacity to get rid of fat.

Re-use  

Muscle tissue is also the primary depository for glucose disposal. Once they fill to maximum capacity - around 250 grams of glucose for an average person - glucose then must be stored in the liver and in fat cells.  Exercise uses the glucose stored in muscles and in doing so helps to promote healthy glucose metabolism.  This is important in the preventing or minimizing chronic conditions like diabetes, macular degeneration, and perhaps even Alzheimer's.

Recycle

Recent research confirms that blood plasma levels of essential amino acids help to regulate protein synthesis. Low levels of these amino acids result in lower rates of muscle protein synthesis. What's more, the body needs amino acids for a number of important jobs in addition to muscle building. If there are not enough amino acids available in the blood,  it will break down lean muscle and use amino acids stored there for these other functions.

 

You Can Make a Difference

Scientists believe that our slowing metabolism and decreased ability to oxidize fat is a result of the typical decrease in lean body mass, rather than simply a function of age.

In order to prevent lean muscle mass as we age, experts recommend resistance exercise coupled with sufficient, quality protein intake. 

In fact, in his report for the U.S. Dairy Export Council on sarcopenia and whey protein, Dr. Paul J. Cribb states:

"An individual's habitual protein intake may prove to be one of the more important variables that influence the size of human muscle mass since recent work has confirmed that the concentration of EAA [essential amino acids] in the blood (plasma) regulate protein synthesis rates within muscle."

 

If I could turn back time..

OK, so you may not have wanted a Cher song stuck in your head for the rest of the day, but you will want to know about this study.

Researchers were looking at the connection between exercise, aging and muscle loss.  They wanted to know to what extent strength training could affect the progression of sarcopenia.

They had two groups of male and female subjects -those younger than 25 and those older- participate in six months of leg strength training.  The exercise had tangible results for the older subjects.  Their leg strength increased by 50 percent.

What the researchers discovered next, however, was even better news.  It turns out that the strength training improved function on a genetic level in the older subjects, in effect making some of their genes perform like those in the 25 years and younger group.

Exercise Influences Genes

 

Scientists suspect that sarcopenia is related to mitochondrial dysfunction within skeletal muscle cells. Mitochondria are tiny organells within cells that convert certain chemicals into functional energy. Energy distribution is fundamental  to physiological processes like muscle exertion, building and repair.  

So the researchers in this study took muscle biopsies in order to take a closer look at the effects of strength training on a genetic level. They found that there were 596 genes expressed differently in older versus younger subjects.

Amazingly, the expression of 179 of those genes was positively affected by the exercise.

In other words, the strength training literally 'turned back the clock" on those genes, so that they acted a bit more like the gene of the younger adults. Cellular repair was improved and mitochondrial damage was lessened.

 

Strength training made subjects younger, to a degree, on a genetic level.

 

Cutting Back on Calories, Not Protein

There are at least two times in our lives that call for cutting calories, but research shows that should not mean reducing our protein intake.

The first of these times is when we need to lose weight. Usually, in order to lose weight we need to reduce the overall number of calories we take in, and increase exercise.  This is because weight gain occurs when we are consuming more calories than we expend. 

However, reducing overall calories does not necessarily mean we should reduce our protein levels.  In fact, research shows that maintaining protein adequate protein intake can actually help you lose weight - and lose more fat, rather than muscle (which we want to keep!)

So, when we are dieting, the focus should be not only on reducing calories, but on making the most of the calories we consume.  This means choosing nutrient-dense foods, such as poultry, fish, and nuts, that will help to maintain protein levels.

The second time in our lives when we may be eating fewer calories is when we reach age 55.  By this time in our lives, most experts agree that physiological and lifestyle changes mean our bodies require fewer calories. 

At the same time, it becomes crucial at this age that we maintain adequate protein intake.  Protein requirements remain the same even as we age, and insufficient protein can result in lean muscle loss, sarcopenia, an increased risk of injury and reduced immune function. 

Some experts estimate that up to 20 percent of older adults do not take in the Recommended Daily Allowance for protein. And in  a recent study, older adults showed negative physiological changes after just one week on a low protein diet.

If physical problems, such trouble chewing or reduced enzyme production, make protein digestion more difficult, we may need help maintaining our protein intake.  This means choosing softer, protein-rich foods such as milk, cheese and protein drinks. 

Aminogen, which helps our bodies to break down and absorb more protein, is a good idea too!

 

Aging's Effect on Our Lean Muscle Mass

I came across an excellent article on sarcopenia – the gradual loss of muscle mass as we age.  This loss of muscle mass is known to impact the immune system, cardiovascular health, and even conditions such as diabetes.  Inadequate lean muscle mass can indicate a decline in overall health as well as susceptibility to age-related problems such as osteoporosis and hip fractures. (You can read more about the importance of lean muscle mass in my July 2 2007 post on the topic).

The loss of muscle mass occurs with age – one-fifth of a pound of muscle each year and up to one pound each year after the age of fifty.  Because the change is gradual, and usually accompanied by fat accumulation, many people may not even realize the dramatic shift in body composition that is taking place.

This article from Best Life highlights two key solutions to the problem of sarcopenia:

• Weight-bearing exercise
• Improved/Increases protein nutrition

Exercise with weights, when done properly, stimulates muscle fibers to grow. 

Protein intake is vital because if the body does not receive the amino acids it needs (and it needs amino acids for virtually every function!) from food, it will leach them from your skeletal muscle mass. 

I mention not only increased protein but improved protein nutrition because it may not be enough to simply eat more.  Our bodies produce fewer digestive enzymes as we age, so we may need help in breaking down and absorbing amino acids from our dietary protein.

Sure, the information in this article may seem a bit disheartening at first, but it also points us in the right direction: the most important fact you can take away from this is that while we cannot stop aging, we can make changes in diet and exercise that dramatically effect how we age. 

Aminogen and Sarcopenia

A recently published clinical study on Aminogen suggests that the patented enzyme may be beneficial when it comes to sarcopenia. 

Sarcopenia, from the Greek for "vanishing flesh," is the loss of muscle mass assocated with aging.  What many people may not realize is this muscle loss can actually begin by around age 40, with an average loss of 1/3 of a pound of muscle each year. By age 80, an individual may have lost up to 50 percent of their lean muscle mass.  And this can have a big impact on health.

Because adding Aminogen to protein triples the rate of absorption and increases amino acid levels by 100% - and BCAA levels by 250% - it may help to build and maintain lean muscle. 

Additionally, improved protein absorption can reduce the digestive discomfort some people experience on a high-protein diet.  This makes Aminogen a great addition to protein nutrition for older adults, who may be less able to digest protein as their bodies produce fewer digestive enzymes. 

You can read the press release on Triarco's website for more details.

What Is Sarcopenia? Part 2: Why Lean Muscle Is So Important for Good Health

With some 650 muscles holding your body together and helping you to move, it's easy to understand why we need healthy, working muscles.

As we age, losing muscle mass and strength increases our risk of injury and can affect our ability to live independently.  Lacking muscle mass and strength makes you more likely to injure yourself while performing household tasks, like carrying a grocery bag or changing a light bulb.

A senior lacking strength in the quadriceps thigh muscle, for instance, may lose their balance and fall from a step stool or on the stairs.  This may result in a hip fracture, one of the most common reasons older people lose the ability to live independently and require nursing home care.

Sarcopenia is also closely associated with osteoporosis.  While researchers are still unclear as to exactly how the two conditions are related, they do know that sarcopenia typically precedes osteoporosis.  One theory is that similar hormonal changes and nutritional deficits underlie both conditions.  Another theory is that as we lose muscle, bones are no longer required to bear as much weight during normal activity, and so they begin to weaken as well.

Whatever the reason, we know that sarcopenia is a risk factor for injury and loss of independence.

Interestingly, scientists have discovered that the quality and quantity of an individual's lean muscle mass influences more than just the obvious.

In addition to physical mobility and independence, muscle plays a role in:

Metabolism

Immune health

Chronic diseases such as diabetes

Survival rates for critical illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer

Ability to recover from injury and surgery

Glutathione, for example, is an amino acid stored in muscle and is important for tissue repair and immune function.  Victims of second and third degree burns are given glutathione to replace any they may have lost from their injuries, and because it speeds the healing process.

In injury recovery, the body also utilizes the nitric oxide provided by muscle.  Insufficient nitric oxide can impede the healing response and even create further damage.

There are so many reasons to safeguard your lean muscle mass as you age, even if you are not trying to "bulk up."

In the next installments on sarcopenia we will look more closely at how muscle mass is lost, who is at risk, and what you can do.

Strength Training May Help Prevent Falls Among Elderly

As my second installment on sarcopenia will detail, maintaining lean muscle mass is crucial for good health as we age. 

According to this New York Times article, 10% of emergency room visits by people older than 65 result from falls. As part of a plan to reduce this number, health care providers teamed up to closely monitor medication, vision correction and strength training among this age group and found that this supervision cut the number of serious falls by 11%.

For more on strength training in older adults, check my previous post for the National Strength Conditioning Associations excercise guidelines for seniors.    

What Is Sarcopenia? Part I

From the Greek for "poverty of muscle"

Sarcopenia is the loss of lean muscle mass and muscle function associated with aging.  Take a look at a New York Times Illustration of what muscle loss looks like.  *Notice how fat accrues where muscle once was.

Many of us have witnessd a grandparent or family member grow older and more frail.  We tend to think of this as just a part of old age.

Losing muscle and strength, however, need not be invevitable.

In fact, in their 1991 book Biomarkers: The 10 Determinants of Aging You Can Control, authors William J. Evans and Irwin Rosenberg introduced the term sarcopenia and discussed its possible preventatives.  Since that time, research into the causes and effects of sarcopenia has intensified, and the condition has emerged as a critical issue for aging Americans.

What scientists know is this:

Lean muscle plays a crucial role in overall health.

Loss of muscle strength and function begins decades before "old age."

Much of this loss can be offset and even avoided by implementing diet and lifestyle changes.

We will take a closer look at each one of these findings, beginning with more on the role of lean muscle mass in overall health.

Losing Muscle? Information on Sarcopenia

It's a fact: most people will lose muscle mass and muscle strength as they age.

This loss of muscle, called sarcopenia, not only changes how we look, but it affects our health.  It turns out that the quality and quantity of our lean muscle mass impacts bone health, immune function and our risk of injury.  Losing muscle also begins earlier in life than most people would guess.

So what causes sarcopenia and what can be done about it?  Find out in next week's Aminogen Blog special series, What You Need to Know About Sarcopenia.