Like it not, with advancing age we all experience a loss of muscle mass, muscle strength, and endurance. It begins in your 30s, with rapid decline in the mid–60s. With less muscle, you burn fewer calories and your body’s metabolic rate slows, often causing weight gain and fatigue. Unchecked, the loss of muscle mass, like the loss of bone mass can significantly affect quality of life and independence in our senior years.

While we can’t completely halt this process, researchers believe we can slow it down, mostly through resistance or weight training and consuming higher amounts of high quality protein—specifically whey protein.

Weight Training

To stave off muscle loss, experts say you should lift weights at least twice a week once you reach middle age. However, the benefits of weight training will be limited without an adequate intake of protein to manufacture muscle tissue.

Protein—The Right Way

While the government’s recommended dietary allowance for protein is 46 grams a day for women and 56 grams for men, evidence is mounting that seniors need nearly double that amount to avoid accelerating loss of muscle - especially if they become bedridden from a prolonged illness or injury.

But it’s not just the total amount of protein daily that counts; it’s how it’s consumed. As we age, we need to consumer higher amounts of protein at a time to affect muscle metabolism—approximately 25-30 grams of protein at each meal. Unfortunately, that’s not how most of us consume protein. We tend to be light on protein at breakfast and lunch and then load up at dinner.

When you properly combine weight training with higher amounts of protein at each meal, you can boost your body’s muscle-building rate by 50%.

Best Protein Sources:

Not all protein sources are created equal as they may not contain the most important amino acids for building muscle. The amino acid leucine, found in milk, meat, and fish, appears to be particularly beneficial in helping older people build muscle mass.

Studies have found that whey protein (from milk), is an ideal source of protein for many reasons, including:

• Whey protein is a complete protein containing all the essential amino acids required by the body.
• It is also considered the richest known source of naturally occurring branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine). These amino acids are important during periods of greater physical stresses on the body, such as lifting weights.
• An important difference between whey protein and other complete protein sources is that whey contains all the amino acids with little or no fat, cholesterol or sugar.
• Whey protein is highly digestible and is readily absorbed and utilized by the body. Based on methods used to evaluate protein quality, whey protein scores higher in biological value than milk (casein) soy, beef or wheat gluten.

CNCA Whey Protein Isolate

CNCA Whey Protein Isolate is 92% protein and minimally processed so that the proteins remain undenatured, soluble and have utmost physiologic activity and benefit. Our protein powders are produced in New Zealand from milk provided by New Zealand dairy cows that graze on pesticide-free and chemical-free natural grass pastures. They are also free of growth hormones or antibiotic residue. CNCA Whey Protein Isolate is available in unflavored, natural vanilla and cocoa.

Sources:

Mayo Clinic

Boston Globe

Food Navigator