Does Increasing Protein Intake Slow Age-Related Muscle Mass Loss?

Adding extra protein to the diets of older men and women is put to the test for slowing the loss of muscle mass.

Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

[nonfictionone]

So glad to hear this. All the people saying eat more protein, and eat more protein when you’re old… I applied my brain - the body does not build or keep what it does not need. Hence eating more protein will not build more muscle. Resistance training will build/maintain muscle. Taking calcium will not keep your bones dense. Using your bones will keep the, dense. Etc.

[elisacohenusa]

It’s so interesting that so many exercise professionals tout the benefits of at least one gram of protein per pound for hypertrophy. I hope Dr Gregor is right because I can’t choke down that much protein every day.

[hardcoreherbivore]

Was taking supplements when I first went plant based. Put on much more muscle when I shifted to making sure my diet was sufficient on its own.

Beans and vegetables are literally available at every grocery store. Not very challenging, really.

[tmcg]

Excellent and much needed evidence based analysis! I learned this decades ago when I went to school to become a dietitian but it’s so hard to convince people (even when presented this type of research). It’s so heavily marketed that people just can’t believe additional protein is necessary/needed. Maybe because people equate muscle as being protein, so they think if you eat more protein you will make more protein?

[vc]

THANK YOU Dr. Greger and your team for this timely and thorough review of the medical research literature - things have been purposefully confusing lately around this exact issue and your analysis here cut right through it all.

[NewEnglandInSeattle]

Protein by itself won't build any more muscle because you need a stimulus to make new muscles. You've got to incorporate resistance training to get the benefit of adding new muscle tissue and increasing strength. Yeah, if you just consume more protein and don't do weight training, nothing happens. The same thing even applies to anabolic steroids. You can't just take them and sit on your couch and expect to look like Arnold. I've been vegan for 6 years, and at 54, I'm stronger now than I was at 34 because I increased my protein and added weight training together.

[adamd]

The increase in organ size and water retention is a bit concerning! Looks like resistance training is much more important than protein intake. The heavy metal issue in protein powders is also concerning.

[JBBII]

Now I’m absolutely, totally confused! My doctor lectured me on increasing my protein to prevent age related sarcopenia. I can’t read studies and I’m not a nutritionist. I rely on my doctor for diet recommendations. When I argue I get plenty of protein on a plant based diet, he directs me to numerous studies showing the benefits of increased protein. And now your video has numerous studies showing the opposite. Who am I supposed to believe!

[wholefoodplantbasedmama]

I am 60 and have been plant based for 40+ years. I have a LOT of muscle way too much for my liking as a female. Genetically i easily develop muscle but i also walk 12500 minimum steps a day, i do my own housework, jump on the trampoline, do dance while watching videos and occasionally do some Pilates. I only WISH i could lose some muscle mass but it seems impossible for me.

I only eat plants and follow basically the same diet that dr Gregor recommends. Too much protein is hard on the kidneys. It is a marketing ploy to get people to feel anxious about their diets. I do not eat processed food and my body seems to suck up the nutrients i need from beans, grains, vegetables and fruit with a bit of nuts and seeds.

Go figure, plants provide me with all the protein my body needs - just like a cow who doesn’t eat other animals or drink milk as an adult.

[cfoxYOU]

Excess protein does not help, it hurts. Another excellent debunk from Dr Greger. You might say he's the debunk-King.

[ronviers]

i didn't supplement with protein isolates for years but after adding a teaspoon of creatine i tried it, eventually landing at three tbsp/day (one per meal) and found it did add a few lbs of muscle mass but mostly my body became happier with the rebalance of macros in terms of digestion, satiation, stool consistency and regularity - plus we shouldn't be dismissive of increasing the body's ability to retain water when doing large amounts of cardio/resistance exercise, even with the added water retention i still need to drink a sports drink after getting super sweaty (which is almost daily), so the increased water storage creates a buffer for electrolyte depletion. this is a personal account, ymmv

[c.vandenberg]

Yep also see Valter Longo on this topic.

[river]

Hi Dr Greger, thanks for sharing your knowledge and putting together all the evidence out there. There’s a recent interview by Huberman Lab with Dr Gabrielle Lyon that’s advocated for higher protein intake for longevity and maintaining muscle mass. Will be interesting to hear a healthy debate from both camps as a form of education.

[elephantintheroom]

Wow! Once again you used hard science and research to debunk something they were starting to convince me (against my personal observations) about! Thank-you, Dr. Gregor!

[mildredbangtree]

Oh good. I recently went down the protein rabbit hole and am finding it very difficult to achieve 100-plus grams a day as a vegetarian. I remembered Dr. McDougall would bring it up sometimes and say not to worry so much about that. It can be confusing for sure. For a while I will try to hit that mark as I am in the process of recovering from open heart surgery and both the nutritionist and Nurse Practitioner at Cleveland Clinic told me to mind my protein intake for a while.

[spencerprice]

Really big if true. But seriously, this might be busting one of the biggest beliefs (myths?) in nutrition

[bikeboy]

Thanks for tackling this subject. I've been concerned about my protein intake since I hit 60, but I feel confident now in just sticking to my strength training 3x/week.

[BabyStepsMedia]

Very interesting and helpful! As a menopausal female trying to stave off the negative effects. Thx
Found your channel from Goobie and Doobie..

[editaatteck]

Thanks for sharing this. The bottom line is: eat real food, don’t waste money on protein supplements, exercise and enjoy life 😍

[gme]

Protein along isn't going to slow muscle loss, but weight training will.