Required protein mass for older people
Older people need more protein to maintain healthy muscles than younger people. It's a well-known fact that protein is important, and you need to get the right amount of protein every day to maintain a healthy body. It was thought that the amount of protein needed per day in adults would not change forever, but recently it has been found that older people need more protein than younger ones to sustain muscle. ..
As you get older, maintaining your existing muscles is very important in your daily life. Regular exercise to maintain and gain muscle helps to improve your mood, help you sleep better, support stress management, and balance your day.
Muscle loss due to aging
After the age of 50, most people become aware of muscle weakness. The muscle mass of the whole body decreases by about 0.5% to 2% on average every year.
One of the reasons for weakening muscles is that they stop using muscles. This is because when you move your body, you don't exercise hard compared to when you were young. You can understand that muscle strength is weakened because it is used less frequently and less intensely. At the same time, as you age, your body's ability to build muscle also declines.
However, the good news is that you can minimize the loss of muscle strength by getting enough protein while doing weight training. Protein is needed to build muscle, and weight training increases its efficiency. It has been proven that older people need to get more protein than they had when they were young.
Elderly people need a lot of protein
Scientists are studying muscle protein synthesis (MPS), how dietary habits and daily exercise affect the body to build muscle. MPS is the process of making protein in the body by using the protein taken into the body. The required protein mass is different for each person such as weight, body composition, amount of exercise, and age. Older people need better protein than younger people to reach maximum MPS levels.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Physiology found that 20 randomly collected adults between the ages of 52 and 75 needed a daily amount of protein (0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight). Or, I had them eat twice as much for 4 days. 1)
The results were clear: those who took twice as much protein had higher MPS levels. MPS is the rate at which the body builds muscle.
Also, the timing of protein intake seems to affect MPS.
Many people don't get enough protein for breakfast and lunch, while they get enough protein for dinner. One study found that even protein intake throughout the day promotes muscle production. Therefore, elderly people should take about 30g of protein per meal. 2)
Elderly people don't have enough protein in their diet
Elderly people, whether they're trying hard to stay active or incorporating weight training on a daily basis, can't build muscle unless they have enough protein mass.
As you get older, both metabolism and physical activity decrease, so you need less calories. Many people reduce calories and eat less to avoid gaining weight. However, you need to be careful when choosing what to eat. Simply reducing calories will also reduce your protein intake.
Looking at what the older people get their calories from, they are by no means high in protein. The top 10 foods that people over the age of 70 eat are bread, cakes, cookies, potatoes, ice cream, cold cereals, pies, soft drinks, and more. Together, they account for 20% of the total calorie intake.
Try to increase protein mass, not calories
You need to be careful about what you eat in order to get enough protein mass while controlling your calorie intake. I think that general dieting methods such as cutting refined sugars and sweets are a very good first step. From that point on, the key is to choose one that is rich in protein and low in calories.
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