Muscle is Medicine
A Recipe for Metabolic Health

Taking care of the health and well-being of our skeletal muscle can change the trajectory of our aging process, from both strength AND metabolic standpoints.  Muscle looks nice when shapely and strong, but that’s not the best part.  Muscle is a metabolic organ.  Our muscular system sits at the pinnacle of our well-being.  It affects our gut health, metabolism, immune health, body armor, and mobility.  

Neglecting muscle leads to sarcopenia, or the loss of our skeletal muscle mass, in size, function, and/or strength.  Sarcopenic obesity, a common result of a sedentary lifestyle, is when weight remains the same as body composition changes. 

While it is thought to be a normal process of aging, starting in our 50’s and 60’s, the ‘accepted norm’ of muscular decline is a myth.   We now know this does not have to be the case.  And if we so choose, we can arm ourselves with knowledge and tools to do something about it. 

Skeletal muscle is fascinating.  Here are some fun facts:

  1. Skeletal muscle comprises, on average, 40% of body weight.  
  2. In sheer mass alone, muscle is the largest endocrine organ in the body.
  3. Muscle is the primary site for glucose disposal.
  4. Although mainly produced in the liver, Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) is produced by our muscles, helping to reduce our risk for metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis/osteopenia, and CV disease.
  5. Skeletal muscle is critical for fatty acid oxidation and can decrease fatty infiltrate in the liver.  It is essential to use and recycle fats, lipids, and cholesterol.
  6. Muscle is an amino acid reservoir. When we are injured or sick, in this highly catabolic state, metabolism is revved due to infection or inflammation.  Muscle holds reserves for protein synthesis and rebuilding once the infection and inflammation have resolved.
  7. Our muscle is an immune regulator.  When skeletal muscle contracts, we secrete myokines which interface with the immune system to help balance inflammatory processes.  For example, Interleukin-6 (normally pro-inflammatory), when secreted by contracting muscles, is anti-inflammatory.
  8. Muscle stimulates a thermic effect of feeding and influences our baseline basal metabolic rate.  This is known as the thermogenic effect of protein.
  9. Increasing your muscle mass can potentially help improve your thyroid function.  Skeletal muscle has been found to produce an enzyme, iodothyronine deiodinase, that helps to convert inactive thyroid hormone (T4) into active thyroid hormone (T3). 
  10. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is neuro-protective, increasing in our brain when we exercise.  When secreted by muscle fibers, it acts locally to increase the breakdown of fat for energy.

Many experts in the field now believe that sarcopenia and obesic sarcopenia begin as early as our 30’s, just as Alzheimer’s, CV disease, and insulin resistance.  All these diseases once thought of as maladies of aging and metabolic dysfunction are related if not, in part, due to loss, or lack of use, of skeletal muscle.   

So how do we maintain or build muscle mass and health?

  1. Muscle use – both strength and cardiovascular conditioning, and
  2. Adequate quality protein consumption.

Both stimulate mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), which has been implicated in many of the processes that are associated with aging, including cellular senescence, immune responses, cell stem regulation, autophagy, mitochondrial function, and protein homeostasis.  To geek out on mTOR and its emerging science, see this article from the National Institute of Health, titled mTOR as a central regulator of lifespan and aging.

Muscle use (i.e. strength training):

“Use it or lose it.”   

  • Recommendation for cardiovascular health –
    • Zone 2 aerobic training

~4 times/week, equaling 3-4 hrs/week

Targets aerobic fat-burning

  • Zone 5 high intensity training (HIIT)

~2 times/week

Very short bursts of HIIT (minutes) 

Quick tips

* Using an Apple watch and Apple Fitness app, your heartrate and zone are broadcast on your device.

*A Whoop activity tracker and app will also broadcast your heartrate and zone per activity.

*Other activity trackers can be paired with Peloton or iFit to do the same.

*If you don’t want an activity tracker, exercise till you are working hard to breathe, but could still carry on a conversation.  This is zone 2.

  • Recommendation for muscle building –
    • 3-5 times/week (weight/strength training)
    • If you have no experience with strength training, we have an abundance of gyms, both private and public, where strength trainers abound.

Local Gyms:

Evolve Fitness (formerly Gold’s Gym):  evolvefitnessbangor.com
Cost for monthly membership – $35/month, includes access to all equipment and fitness classes.  Trainer would be extra.  Shake bar on site for high protein replacement following workout.  Local family-owned.

Planet Fitness: https://www.planetfitness.com
Cost of monthly membership – $25/month, includes access to all Planet Fitness gyms, nation-wide.   See site in Bangor for perks.

All Around Fitness: https://www.allaroundfitnessrr.com
Vinny and Kimberly Ferdinand are owners and primary trainers.  They started the gym with a vision of providing training and recover at an affordable price to any family.  Contact for pricing.  

Bangor Region YMCA: www.bangory.org
Membership price dependent on age, couple, family plans.

Wilcox Wellness & Fitness: https://www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com
See website for a variety of options, dependent on your goals.

Bangor Brewer Athletic Club: https://www.bangorbrewerathleticclub.com

Peak Wellness: https://peakwellnessandtraining.com

Protein Consumption:

Here are some protein facts according to experts, Donald Layman, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois (https://metabolictransformation.com/meet-dr-donald-k-layman/) and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, doctor of osteopathic medicine and founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine:

  • The body turns over 250-300 grams protein/day.  Additionally, our system becomes more challenged as we age, requiring more emphasis on protein consumption.
  • While eating protein does stimulate muscle synthesis via mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), consumption alone will not build muscle mass.  It must be combined with resistance training.  It requires stimulus, adaptation, and protein.
  • mTOR is in all tissues – brain, kidneys, pancreas, muscles, liver.  This receptor is sensitive to different influences depending on where it is in the body.  Stimulating mTOR in the liver, for instance, by eating small amounts of carbohydrate all day long, is believed to be unhealthy in the body.  Desired stimulation of mTOR is in muscles, being exquisitely sensitive to protein.  This is most effectively accomplished by the following recommendations:

Good
Minimum Protein requirement:  0.8 g/kg/day  (Example:  70 kg = 56 g/day)

Better
People who increase to 1.2 g/kg fare better with regards to blood sugar regulation, triglycerides, BP, and insulin.  When you improve dietary protein, getting the numbers ‘right,’ you stimulate the health of skeletal muscle.  This becomes especially important as we age and are more vulnerable due to inevitable body system changes. (Example: 70 kg = 84 g/day)

Best/Ideal
2.2 g/kg/day (Example: 70kg = 154 g/day)

Lastly, we don’t eat for protein.  We eat for the essential amino acids.  The profile of amino acids determines whether something is a high-quality protein vs. a low-quality protein.   High-quality protein has a robust profile of all essential amino acids that mimic what is needed in a human.  For example, a lean cut of beef, chicken, or fish has an amino acid profile that matches the needs of a human.  A plant-based profile has the amino acid profile necessary for plants.  Obviously, this is a much more diverse conversation than simply dietary protein, but for the sake of amino acids, these facts are not debatable, according to Dr. Gabrielle Lyons.   If you are a vegetarian, educate yourself on the best sources of essential amino acids.  Lacto-ovo and Pescetarian vegetarians fare the best as far as quality and digestibility of amino acids in their protein sources.   For meat eaters, be aware of where your protein sources come from.  Wild-caught fish will be much healthier than farm-raised.  Likewise, grass-fed, free-range animals will support cardiovascular health due to the ratio of omega profiles.  We have many local farms/farmers markets, making this an easy choice.

Here’s to our muscle health!!

Resources to chew on:

Outlive: The Art and Science of Longevity, book by Dr. Peter Attia

Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well, book by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

Website: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6611156/, NIH article titled mTOR as a central regulator of lifespan and aging

Website: https://metabolictransformation.com/meet-dr-donald-k-layman/, Dr. Layman’s Metabolic Transformation website.  
Multiple podcasts: Dr. Peter Attia’s The Drive, Dr. Gabrielle Lyons with Dr. Gundry in The Gundry Podcast , Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. Huberman Lab