Stay Strong: How Resistance Exercise and Protein Keep You Healthy as You Age

Preserving muscle health in an aging body is essential for maintaining general well-being, mobility, independence, and quality of life in later years. Muscle mass and strength naturally wane with age, commencing at around 50 years old and accelerating with each subsequent decade. A multifaceted defensive strategy that includes resistance training and protein supplementation is needed to combat age-related muscle atrophy (i.e., shrinkage).

Resistance training, also referred to as strength training, exercises muscles against a force and includes weight lifting and power activities. Resistance training boosts muscle mass, strength, and physical performance in older adults (i.e., 65+ years old). It notably increases the size of fast twitch muscle fibers— the primary culprit for age-related muscle shrinkage— in elderly adults,  providing a likely mechanism for these observed benefits. Strength training promotes the secretion of myokines, or signaling proteins such as irisin, from muscles. Irisin is released primarily by anaerobic exercises, including resistance training, and supports muscle, brain, and bone health. In addition to these improvements, resistance training enhances balance, mobility, and muscle power, supporting a longer, healthier life. 

Protein provides the building blocks— called amino acids— for muscles. However, protein intake declines with age due to difficulties with chewing and/or swallowing, reduced appetite, and anabolic resistance. Anabolic resistance refers to a diminished biological response to protein intake, resulting in reduced muscle protein synthesis and, thereby, muscle wasting. To thwart anabolic resistance and normal age-related muscle decline, protein supplementation is necessary in later years. By obeying a protein-rich diet of up to 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (g/lbs/day), older adults nourish their bodies with a sufficient quantity of amino acids to promote muscle protein synthesis. Incorporating salmon, eggs, and chicken into their plates can help them achieve optimal protein intake. 

Protein supplementation paired with resistance training significantly increases lean body mass, strength, and physical performance in older adults. The combination of resistance exercise and protein supplementation offers an effective approach for preserving muscle health in later years, promising enhanced well-being and prolonged longevity. At CerePro Bioscience, we recommend combining resistance training 3-4 times per week with a protein-rich diet (i.e., 0.8-1.0 g/lbs/day) to achieve peak performance.