Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Subscribe Today! Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode. THE WONDERS OF WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 642 Hosted by Amanda Williams, MD, MPH *Intro Music* InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: [00:00:04] Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed health …
If you’re looking to build and maintain muscle health, it’s important to make sure you are getting the proper nutrients. Learn more about the nutrients you need from Melissa Bistricer, RDN.
muscle loss
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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There’s a disturbing, unhealthy trend that’s going on in people over the age of 50. It’s age-related and it’s another thing that smacks you in the face when you’re aging. It’s the age-related loss of muscle and strength. If it gets out of control, it’s called sarcopenia.†
Here’s some recent data from the University of East Anglia. The researchers found there that people over 50 lose up to 1% of their skeletal muscle mass each year. This muscle loss is thought to affect 50 million people worldwide. This problem can lead to frailty and other poor outcomes such as sarcopenia, physical disability, Type 2 diabetes, reduced quality of life and increased risk of dying.†
You’ve probably heard the saying, “He’s strong. He’ll pull out of it.” This is usually used to relate to people who are sick or injured. Studies are showing that this saying does hold truth. Studies over the past five years have shown that older people with stronger grip strength survive longer, have a better quality of life and have longer health spans. They have also shown similar findings with people’s gaits, which is how they walk.†
The number of people facing this age-related muscle loss is expected to increase dramatically over the next 25 years. When you don’t have muscle, you’re more likely to fall and hit your head or break a hip. If you lose all of your strength and muscle, you can develop sarcopenia. You can also run the risk of developing frailty syndrome, which is terrible because all of the diseases associated with aging rush into your life, including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and heart failure.†
There is actually a group of supplements that can help support someone facing age-related muscle loss. Today, we will discuss some amino acids that have been shown to be particularly helpful.†
Studies have shown that whey protein, when taken with other key nutrients, can help to greatly improve the physical strength of senior citizens. Researchers have found that if you combine whey protein, creatine monohydrate, Vitamin D, calcium and fish oil, this can be helpful for muscles. They found that by giving elderly men these supplements, they were able to notice improvements in deteriorating muscle health and overall strength. They also found that exercise helped them with their muscle loss.†
FISH OILS, AGING AND MUSCLE HEALTH – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 335. Listen Now>>
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) is another nutrient that should be added to this list to help with muscle health. It’s a metabolite of the amino acid leucine and there are a lot of studies on how it helps to bolster muscle synthesis. I would also recommend ubiquinol, the active form of coenzyme Q10, and Green Tea HxⓇ.†
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. discusses how age-related muscle loss can impact your overall health. He details studies looking at how common muscle loss is and provides recommendations for nutrients that can help. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this episode, coming soon!†
Key Topics:
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Amino acids are necessary for proper brain function, heart function, blood pressure and more. It’s important to get an adequate amount of these nutrients in order to support your body. The good news is that there are supplements you can turn to to help.
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body and is essential for things like healthy skin, muscle building, energy and more! Whey Protein is the best source, in order to reap all of the benefits of its important amino acids.
Written Amanda Williams, MPH
You’ve always been told to drink more fluids – in the summer when you’re sweating and by your doctor when you’re sick. But why is this so important to our health to stay hydrated?
Approximately 60% of our bodies are made up of water. Water plays an essential role in the following functions in the body:
Water is critical to our survival and any imbalances can impact our body severely. As our body temperature goes up (due to summer heat exposure) a reaction occurs in the body as a defense mechanism. We know this reaction as sweating. Sweating occurs when the body is trying to cool itself down. The problem with this excess fluid loss is it can affect our normal bodily functions. Take a classic case of “overheating” in hot temperatures and then look at the role water plays in maintaining mineral balance. We commonly refer to these minerals as our electrolytes. Excessive loss of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, or phosphorus can lead to muscle cramps, weakness, fatigue, dehydration, elevated internal temperature, and in severe cases even organ damage.
The American College of Sports Medicine has set a basic guideline to follow during extreme temperatures to avoid dehydration. “Drink at least 16-20 ounces of water one to two hours before any outdoor activity. After that, drink 6-12 ounces of water every 15 minutes that you are outside.” [i]
It is not that we simply need to follow these guidelines, we need to understand the importance of rebalancing our electrolytes after excessive fluid loss. The water restoration is just one part to enjoying the summer heat. The other component is maintaining proper acid/base balance in the body.
To achieve this, it is advisable to replace and restore your minerals. A wonderful way to do this is by taking in the right blend of minerals. First, consider the important role that both magnesium and potassium play in maintaining pH balance in the body.[ii] If the electrolytes become imbalanced, called dehydration, this can make us more acidic. We can offset this negative effect by adding in the alkaline minerals such as potassium and magnesium. As the temperature outside, as well as inside of our bodies goes up, the muscles release lactic acid and can make us feel weak, fatigued, and muscles can even cramp up or spasm. This is important to recognize because we have to fend this off as to not do damage to the body.
The Products You Need This Summer For A Healthy Body >>
The body can also benefit from amino acid replacement. Take beta alanine for example; this amino acid plays a critical role in buffering acidity in the body.[iii] As we enjoy the warm breezes that come along with the summer season, we are often more physically active than normal. This increase in activity can generate extra lactic acid from the muscles and throw the body’s pH levels off, thus making us more acidic. To target this issue, beta alanine is a very good option.
Many of us wait in anticipation for temperatures to rise so we can enjoy the beach, park or the backyard picnics. Not only that though, this time of year also provides you with the perfect opportunity to get out into your garden and complete any renovation projects they have in mind for their property. The summer provides you with ample opportunity to make a change in your life. This is the best time of year for many people, as they feel more active and partake in a healthier lifestyle during the summer and is usually when they consume more seasonal and local fresh fruits and vegetables. But we also can over exert ourselves in the heat! We need to make sure we can enjoy all of the good of the summer along with the bad. Now that you have the basics down of how to stay healthy and hydrated in the heat, you are ready to hit the beach or take that extra stroll around the neighborhood. Keep that water bottle handy and don’t forget the minerals and amino acids. Get yourself some powdered magnesium, potassium and beta alanine and add a small amount to your water to keep your body in balance.
Furthermore, making sure that this water is cool is important in the summer so that you can get your body regulated to a safe temperature. The most important thing is making sure you are taking in enough water so that you can keep your body as healthy as possible.
References:
[i] https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/07000/Exercise_and_Fluid_Replacement__Brought_to_you_by.3.aspx
[ii] König D, Muser K, Dickhuth H-H, Berg A, Deibert P. Effect of a supplement rich in alkaline minerals on acid-base balance in humans. Nutrition Journal. 2009;8:23. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-8-23.
[iii] Hobson RM, Saunders B, Ball G, Harris RC, Sale C. Effects of ?-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino Acids. 2012;43(1):25-37. doi:10.1007/s00726-011-1200-z.