Older men need more protein to maintain muscles

[Swordsmyth]

The amount of protein recommended by international guidelines is not sufficient to maintain muscle size and strength in older men, according to a new study.


Researchers say their findings mean older men should aim to have high quality protein at every meal.
The size of our skeletal muscles – the muscles we use to move our body – and our ability to perform everyday tasks naturally decline with age from the around the fifth decade. Severe muscle loss can lead to frailty, loss of independence and a greater risk of dying.
Regularly eating enough protein is known to help maintain muscles.
In the new international clinical study by a scientific team from New Zealand, Austria and Denmark, 30 older men were supplied a balanced diet containing the recommended daily allowance (RDA) or double this amount. The protein RDA has been established by many international health agencies including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For 10 weeks, the men in the study had every meal and snack delivered to their homes. Before they went on the diet, and after the 10 weeks, the men had their muscle size, strength, physical function and general health carefully measured.
The men whose protein intake was at the RDA experienced a loss of muscle size and strength. The muscles of the men who had double the RDA did not grow bigger or stronger, but they did increase in power output - the maximum burst of force, thought to indicate the ability to do many basic activities such as walking up stairs.

More at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-...n-muscles.html

[Voluntarist]

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