The major impact of protein on muscle growth

This clip is from episode #307 ‒ Exercise for aging people: where to begin, and how to minimize risk while maximizing potential

In the full episode, they discuss:

- Why it’s never too late to begin exercising and incorporating the four pillars of exercise
- The gradual, then sharp, decline in muscle mass and activity level that occur with age
- The decline of VO₂ max that occurs with age
- Starting a training program: exercise variability, movement quality, realistic goals, and more
- The importance of protein in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, especially in older adults
- More

Listen free (ep. # 307) on Peter's website or your favorite podcast player. Become a premium member to access our extensive show notes for this episode.

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About:

The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, and all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 90 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more.

Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their healthspan.

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[Evergreenandmyrtle]

This man is a BRILLIANT physician who leaves no stone unturned in his research and ruthless pursuit of truth. He only advises on topics of which he has gained certainty through his heavy research. All this, yet, he remains humble. This is why I’ve followed, learned, and relied on him for almost 15 years.🥇

[paigeallen]

Preach, Peter, preach. I'm often at work before my gym opens and not home until after it closes. Being post-menopausal is no joke. I try to fit in exercise when I can. Pretty sure it's only because I started eating high quality high protein about 3 years ago that my Function Health blood work tells me I'm 5.6 years younger than my actual age. Can you, PLEASE, do a dedicated podcast for postmenopausal women? We need it! It's really time wasting to slog through all of the podcasts on menopause when you have to listen to them talk about every stage of life only to hear them finally talk about your stage of life but only as a footnote. It's extremely frustrating.

[universeusa]

Proteins are indeed essential for stimulating muscle protein synthesis. When you consume protein, it provides the necessary amino acids that are the building blocks for muscle tissue repair and growth. However, protein alone may not be sufficient to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

Research suggests that consuming protein in combination with resistance exercise is more effective in stimulating muscle protein synthesis compared to protein intake alone. Resistance exercise creates a stimulus for muscle growth, and when combined with adequate protein intake, it can lead to greater gains in muscle mass and strength.

Therefore, while protein is crucial for muscle protein synthesis, incorporating regular resistance training into your routine is also important for maximizing the benefits of protein consumption and promoting muscle growth and repair.🤷‍♂️

[DrTomMD]

I am sympathetic with this argument. But there will be those that will not unreasonably find it controversial in terms of both the amount of protein, and not noting the potential passengers of protein sources (ie saturated fat, heme iron, cholesterol, TMAO etc.). Of course Peter is smart and this is a short so he likely mentions it somewhere else in the conversation.

Nevertheless, the total amount of protein is not the only issue as we get older. Also needed to stimulate muscle protein synthesis is the amount at any sitting which has to hit a threshold, rather than be spread into too many small servings.

Also shouldn’t be bunched up all in one meal.

Typically about 30 g of leucine rich protein (note vegans or those using powders and trying to go more plant forward, recent McMaster University data found pea protein performed practically as well as whey protein) is the threshold for a single serving.

This is give or take again, is leucine dependent re the quality of the protein source and is per meany with at least 30g over at least 3 servings distributed throughout the day for most….

…and with resistance training could arguably be enough for many.

Of course, if extra protein needed for muscle building phase or it truly enhances satiety to the point that you can Reduce your calorie intake by virtue of higher fraction of calories from protein, those are all reasons for potentially going higher.

For estimating protein requirements, with several factors such as physical activity, muscle building, body fat losing, stable weight etc., a better guess in my opinion than using kilogram weight when you don’t know what the body composition is since it’s lean mass we are trying to preserve, I get a starting guesstimate (unless we have a DEXA scan or other reliable body composition of analysis) by Determining what weight the patient or client would be at BMI of 18–20.

That weight at 18-20 is a reasonable guesstimate for grams of daily protein to start with distributed into three or four servings - likely best to bias a bit higher in any of the fractions towards breakfast and the other to post training meal.

Remember this is initial guesstimate. Every patient/client should be monitored closely to determine adjustments.

We could get far more detailed but
those are some preliminary thoughts as a past president of the national board of physician nutrition specialists.

[oolala]

I wish he had made a brief mention of the research that shows that because I know I’m not Peter Attia but everything I’ve read said that that is not true. People may retain muscle if they eat adequate protein, but I remember reading that they don’t build it just because of that. There has to be a stimulus. But I’d love to know who found something different.

[unclebob]

I don't agree with that level of protein intake. How many people have tested it? I am lean and muscular on about 1g of protein per kg of body weight, I've tried eating a higher amount and it doesn't make a difference.

There are downsides of eating too much protein. It puts more strain on your liver and kidneys. Because you're eating protein, you're eating less healthy carbs which if eaten in the form of fruit and veg, contain a lot of different nutrients.

[jimbojimbo]

Training on w is by far the most important factor.

Training Stimulus accounts for 96% of the muscle gain

[binathere]

It also produces gluconeogenisis in the liver. This is stressful on the body.

[theneonpact]

As a 27yo male, 6'0 160lbs/72kg, i find it very difficult to eat this much protein without grabbing one of those ridiculously protein packed shakes. I eat very healthy, but struggle to regularly get more than like 70g without feeling like a blimp. I am also excerising 3-4 times per week.

[seds]

Performance vs longevity food. Balance of both needed

[nabinmandal]

Would increasing the protein intake over time while our kidneys age only mean an increased GFR and higher risk of long term kidney damage?

[donnaholland]

I am an 83-year-old woman. I take amino acids in tablet or powder form in addition to eating meat, fish and nuts, but it is hard to eat enough protein because I find that I'm not that hungry. If we exercise a lot, maybe it is easier to do. I don't know how much of the amino acids I should take in. I wish someone could talk about amino acid intake.

[nopenope]

I feel this in my personal life. I have medical issues that I've realized drain me of energy. I can work out every 2 or 3 days max. I can't do much lifting when I do. However I'm still gaining muscle on this high protein carnivore diet. it's really interesting

[divad]

Basically I need to eat 150-200 grams of protein daily - you have no idea how hard that is…protein shakes; Tuna; chicken; eggs…not exactly cheap

[talabaskictube]

I am proud of myself cause I understood him before he said that in english.

[wishbone]

I am 76 and started training at 14. That pic of me is at 68. It is definitely getting harder for me to stay in shape now.

[salvatorethomas]

I found this to be true.
You will be eating more throughout the day due to whether it"s pure protien, carb or fat it would pass through the stomach in about 30 min. Generally if these are combined, it would take about 5 hrs. to pass through the stomach.

[cmwHisArtist]

What bothers me is all my skin reaching for the ground.

[MrSmith]

The recommendation of needing 1.6 times your body weight in kilograms to meet your protein needs isn't groundbreaking. The real challenge lies in consistently getting adequate protein. For instance, if someone weighs 400 lbs, consuming 290 grams of protein daily is excessive unless the calculation is based on lean body mass in kilograms.

With 290 grams of protein, you're already consuming 1200 calories from protein alone, leaving limited room for carbs and fats. A balanced diet is crucial, as carbohydrates can spare protein, allowing your body to use protein more efficiently for muscle repair and growth rather than as an energy source.

The key is to avoid overeating while ensuring you get enough protein. Be wary of advice from charlatans on YouTube, and remember that having an MD doesn't make someone's opinions infallible. Focus on balanced nutrition rather than extremes.

[robynhope]

Pretty smart guy: from engineering to medicine!