Muscle Will Help You Live Longer | William Evans PhD

Name: Muscle Will Help You Live Longer | William Evans PhD
Uploaded: 2023-06-01T14:00:36.000Z
Duration: 2 h 26 min 38 s

Healthy Ways for Older People to Lose Weight

Dr. Bill Evans discusses the importance of healthy ways for older people to lose weight and maintain muscle mass through diet.

Protein Intake

Don Layman has been a big proponent of thinking about protein and its overall health effect.

Older people going on a 2-300 calorie a day deficit diet means that their protein intake is really low, probably below the recommended dietary allowance.

Apollo Neuro Wearable Device

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon talks about the benefits of using the Apollo Neuro wearable device to improve stress management, sleep quality, focus, and overall well-being.

Features and Benefits

The Apollo Neuro wearable device improves your body's capacity to manage stress, sleep better, stay calm, be focused, be more present, and feel less overwhelmed.

The device delivers silent vibrations that you can control the magnitude of vibrations.

Over time it helps train the nervous system to cope with the environment better.

You can get $40 off by visiting apollonuro.com/DrLyon.

Understanding Skeletal Muscle Mass

Dr. Bill Evans talks about his extensive background in human performance laboratory research and how he came to study skeletal muscle mass in aging populations.

Research Background

Dr. Evans did his graduate program at Ball State University under one of the premier Human Performance Laboratory.

In 1982, he was invited to be one of the initial lab directors at the human nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

During his time there, he conducted seminal studies on conditioning sarcopenia and age-related loss in muscle mass.

He later joined Penn State as the Director of what was called the Knoll laboratory before moving to UC Berkeley and Duke University.

Sarcopenia and Muscle Mass

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon and Dr. Bill Evans discuss sarcopenia, its definition, how it can be quantified, and its rates in aging populations.

Understanding Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is defined as age-related loss in muscle mass that ultimately predicts disability in late life and other age-related problems.

It is important to quantify skeletal muscle mass rather than lean body mass when studying sarcopenia.

The prevalence of sarcopenia increases with age, affecting up to 50% of people over 80 years old.

Resistance training combined with adequate protein intake can help prevent or slow down the progression of sarcopenia.

The Importance of Muscle Mass

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of muscle mass and how it relates to strength and overall health.

Muscle Strength Can Be Improved in Older Adults

CT scans were used to measure muscle mass in a study funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Older adults in their 90s were able to triple their strength through exercise.

Improvements were seen in balance, walking speed, spontaneous activity, and depression.

The amount of muscle one has is a determinant of strength.

Lean Body Mass vs. Muscle Mass

Lean body mass is not only muscle mass; it includes water, viscera, fibrotic tissue, and other components that are not muscle.

Decades of research have shown that lean body mass has very little relationship to outcomes in older people.

Strength is more closely aligned with the risk of getting a disability than lean body mass.

Measuring Muscle Mass

Creatine supplements are important for how muscles function because about 98% of all creatine in the body is found in muscle.

A stable isotope label can be put on creatine molecules to measure total creatine levels in the body.

This method allows for a measurement of how much muscle someone has without using expensive methods like CT or MRI scans.

Relationship Between Lean Body Mass and Outcomes

All data on the relationship between lean body mass and outcomes is simply wrong because it assumes that lean body mass is equivalent to muscle mass.

Studies have shown that cross-sectionally, muscle mass is related to better outcomes such as lower mortality rates.

Importance of Muscle Mass in Aging

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of muscle mass in aging and how it relates to various outcomes such as mortality, risk of hip fracture, and activities of daily living.

Muscle Mass and Outcomes

Activities of daily living are related to muscle mass.

Longitudinal studies have been conducted to measure muscle mass in Framingham Heart Study, Tobago Longitudinal Aging Study, and Women's Health Initiative.

The amount of muscle is more important than lean body mass for functional outcomes.

Maintaining muscle can prevent disability and maintain independence.

Muscle Mass and Metabolic Outcomes

Muscle is the primary determinant of basal metabolic rate.

Muscle helps prevent osteoporosis by putting stress on bones.

Muscle secretes hormones or myokines that have a broad array of metabolic effects.

Amount of muscle is associated with risk of diabetes and glycemic control.

Obesity vs. Preservation of Muscle

Sarcopenic obesity is not a significant issue; the amount of muscle is more important than fat even in obese people.

Healthy ways for older people to lose weight while maintaining their muscle include focusing on protein intake through diet.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining muscle mass as we age since it has numerous benefits for functional outcomes as well as metabolic outcomes. He also highlights that preserving muscle should be prioritized over losing fat when it comes to healthy aging.

Stimulating Protein Synthesis in Muscles

In this section, the speakers discuss how to stimulate protein synthesis in muscles and the challenges associated with it.

Eating More Protein

Eating more protein can stimulate protein synthesis in muscles.

High-quality low-fat proteins are ideal for muscle growth.

A low-fat protein supplement like whey protein can help during weight loss.

Challenges

Many protein-containing foods also have fat, making it challenging to eat a high-quality low-fat protein diet.

Sarcopenia and Muscle Mass Decline

In this section, the speakers discuss sarcopenia and muscle mass decline as people age.

Natural Trajectory of Aging

The speakers discuss whether there is a natural trajectory of decline as people age.

The rates of sarcopenia muscle mass decline put it at 3 to 8 percent per decade.

Muscle has not been measured appropriately, so it's difficult to determine if these rates are accurate.

Variability in Muscle Mass

There is enormous variability in how much muscle older adults have.

Physical activity, genetics, and diet all play a role in accounting for this variability.

Effects of Bed Rest on Muscle Loss

In this section, the speakers discuss the effects of bed rest on muscle loss.

Bed Rest Studies

Studies have shown that putting older people to bed for 10 days can result in a loss of about a kilogram of muscle.

Putting young people to bed for 30 days results in a loss of about 400 grams of muscle.

Older people lose almost three times as much muscle in a third the period of time.

Inactivity and Insulin Resistance

Inactivity tends to stimulate insulin resistance, which has a powerful effect on how efficiently the body makes muscle.

Ned's Super Blend Chai Latte

In this section, the speakers discuss Ned's Super Blend Chai Latte.

Product Description

The latte contains functional mushrooms, magnesium, clove, ginger, chamomile, and ashwagandha without CBD caffeine melatonin or dairy.

It is consumed later in the afternoon when caffeine is typically consumed.

Listeners can get 15% off their order by visiting helloNed.com/DrLion or using the code DrLion.

Loss of Muscle Cells as We Age

In this section, the speaker discusses the loss of muscle cells as we age and how it is related to brain aging. They also talk about their research on measuring muscle mass and its potential applications.

Muscle Cell Loss in Aging

As we grow older, we lose muscle cells.

Around 50 years old, there is an accelerated loss of muscle cells.

The loss of motor units (connection between brain and muscle cells) may be related to brain aging.

Measuring Muscle Mass

Molecular tools are becoming available to measure how much muscle someone has.

The speaker's company has licensed intellectual property for measuring muscle mass.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded a study on measuring muscle mass in infants and children using urine samples.

Muscle mass measurement was used to study boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and now a longitudinal study is being funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

If approved by the FDA, this non-invasive method could be used as a marker for disease progression or risk of disability due to loss of muscle mass.

Preventing Loss of Muscle Mass

Research is ongoing to find drugs that may help preserve muscle mass.

Optimal diet and strength training can help prevent loss of muscle mass.

High-quality dietary protein and resistance training are critical for maintaining function well into old age.

Importance of Muscle Quality

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of muscle quality and how it affects strength and overall health.

Muscle Mass vs. Muscle Quality

Obese individuals have more muscle mass, but muscle quality is also important.

Intramyocellular fat (fat found in muscle cells) affects muscle quality and strength.

Weight loss can reduce intramyocellular fat, but its effect on muscle quality is not well understood.

Muscle as Primary Site for Glucose Disposal

Muscle is the primary site where glucose is disposed of when you eat carbohydrates.

Insulin resistance in muscles causes a rise in blood glucose levels that stimulates insulin production and other metabolic effects.

Skeletal muscle is the longevity organ, not just for function but for tackling insulin resistance.

Interaction Between Liver and Muscle

There is an interaction between hepatic (liver-related) insulin resistance and skeletal muscle insulin resistance.

A low-fat diet high in protein can improve both hepatic and peripheral insulin resistance.

Bed rest studies show an increase in hepatic insulin resistance due to a complex interaction between liver and muscle.

Metformin as Treatment for Aging

Metformin reduces hepatic insulin resistance, making it a common treatment for aging.

New glp-1 Agnes are available that make a bigger impact than metformin.

GLP-1 Agonists and Muscle Mass Preservation

In this section, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon discusses the role of GLP-1 agonists in preserving muscle mass and preventing complications. She also talks about the potential biomarkers that can look at skeletal muscle health.

GLP-1 Agonists and Muscle Mass Preservation

GLP-1 agonists are an inexpensive drug that doesn't cause weight loss but can prevent some complications.

Consuming enough protein and doing resistance exercise can help preserve muscle mass.

A grant is being written to understand the role that GLP-1 agonists may have on the loss of muscle mass and how best to preserve it.

There is no mechanism of action that these GLP-1 agonists negatively affect skeletal muscle.

Biomarkers such as myokines are highly predictive of outcomes for skeletal muscle health above and beyond mass.

Inside Tracker Sponsorship

In this section, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon talks about Inside Tracker's importance in understanding personal biomarkers.

Inside Tracker Sponsorship

Understanding personal biomarkers is important for course correction.

Inside Tracker offers blood work services to track personal biomarkers quarterly.

Three new hormone markers have been added to Inside Tracker's services - estradiol, progesterone, and TSH.

Biomarkers for Skeletal Muscle Health

In this section, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon talks about the importance of understanding skeletal muscle mass and how it has been downplayed in literature.

Biomarkers for Skeletal Muscle Health

There will be a new day with the development of new drugs that target myokines.

Biomarkers are highly predictive of outcomes for skeletal muscle health above and beyond mass.

Understanding the role of muscle mass can help explore all potential biomarkers.

The majority of literature has looked at lean body mass as a surrogate for muscle mass, but now we understand that they are not the same thing.

This information is going to take a decade to come out to the public, so collaboration is important.

Designing an Optimal Diet for Longevity and Skeletal Muscle Mass

In this section, the speaker discusses dietary advice that is true for everyone, including reducing saturated fat intake, increasing high-quality protein consumption, eating more fish and omega-3 fatty acids, and avoiding refined sugars. The speaker also talks about the challenges of designing an optimal diet for aging individuals.

Importance of Reducing Saturated Fat Intake

Saturated fat has a bad effect on health and can increase inflammation markers.

High saturated fat diets can make rats diabetic in a week.

Increasing consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can improve health.

Challenges with Caloric Restriction

Caloric restriction studies have shown some improvement in insulin action but may result in loss of lean mass.

It's hard to maintain an optimal diet as calorie needs decrease with age.

Choosing leaner cuts of meat and protein can help control calories.

Importance of High-Quality Protein

Consumption of high-quality protein is important for muscle mass and aging.

Maintaining dietary protein intake at 20% of calories while reducing fat intake resulted in weight loss and increased insulin sensitivity.

The Importance of Protein and Fat in the Diet

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of protein and fat in the diet and how they affect metabolic rate.

Protein Increases Metabolic Rate

When you eat protein, your body processes it, which increases synthesis rates in muscle.

This increase has a caloric cost that raises your metabolic rate.

High-quality protein is generally expensive but necessary for optimal health.

Fat Has No Thermic Effect

Eating fat has no thermic effect on the body.

Fat is by far the most calorie-dense food we can eat.

Fish is lower in fat and contains a type of fat that has a positive metabolic effect.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Protein

In this section, the speaker discusses how much protein we need to consume daily and how it changes as we age.

Older People Need More Protein

As we grow older, we probably need more protein per kilogram than young people do.

Older people generally have lower circulating levels of anabolic hormones like testosterone or growth hormone, making muscle less efficient at making proteins.

The RDA of 0.8 grams of protein per kilo a day is not enough for healthy old people to maintain their weight without losing muscle mass.

Safe Amount of Protein Intake

A high-quality protein intake level of about 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilo a day is safe.

There is very little evidence that eating more than this has any detrimental effects on the body, unless you have renal disease.

The Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and how they can be obtained through supplements.

Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are important for brain function, heart health, and muscle.

EPA DHA are two healthy fats found in fish oil that are critical for optimal health.

Full Mega Supplement

Full Mega is an omega-3 supplement made from cold water wild-caught Icelandic mackerel, herring, anchovies, and sardines.

It contains no taste or smell associated with fish oil supplements.

Protein Turnover and High Protein Intake

In this section, the speaker discusses protein turnover and high protein intake in athletes.

High Protein Intake in Athletes

Some athletes consume massive quantities of protein (2 to 3 grams per kilo a day), yet none report having kidney disease or other bad effects because they have an extremely high energy requirement.

Hormone Replacement Therapy for Myocytosis and Sarcopenia

In this section, the speaker discusses the potential use of hormone replacement therapy in treating myocytosis and sarcopenia. They mention a selective Androgen receptor modulator (SARM) called LGD that stimulates muscle protein synthesis without the side effects of testosterone. The speaker also talks about a study they conducted on young men to simulate hypogonadism and how testosterone helped with muscle gain.

Potential Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy

Selective Androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) like LGD can stimulate muscle protein synthesis without the side effects of testosterone.

Testosterone is only available to men who are hypogonadal and not available to women except as a female Viagra in Europe.

Testosterone has a powerful effect on muscle growth, especially in men who are hypogonadal or become sarcopenic due to low testosterone levels.

There are other potential drugs coming along the way that may have positive effects on muscle growth without the side effects.

Study on Young Men

A study was conducted on young men to simulate hypogonadism by greatly increasing their physical activity while decreasing their food intake.

During severe caloric deficit, there was very little effect on muscle growth, but when allowed to eat ad libitum, the group that had testosterone gained more muscle back.

Testosterone has a powerful effect on muscle if many men who were hypogonadal they become sarcopenic because they have low testosterone levels.

Drugs for Sarcopenia and Urinary Incontinence

In this section, the speaker discusses drugs that are being developed to treat sarcopenia and urinary incontinence. They mention a drug called noblesome that showed promise in treating sarcopenia but did not pass phase three trials. The speaker also talks about how Androgen receptor modulators may help stimulate pelvic floor muscles to treat urinary stress incontinence.

Drugs for Sarcopenia

There are drugs being developed to treat sarcopenia, but the FDA has been reluctant to consider it as a treatable indication.

Cachexia is a much more difficult clinical situation, especially in patients with cancer.

Noblesome showed promise in treating sarcopenia but did not pass phase three trials.

Drugs for Urinary Incontinence

Androgen receptor modulators may have some effect on helping to stimulate pelvic floor muscles to treat urinary stress incontinence.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises can also be used to treat urinary stress incontinence.

Stress urinary incontinence is prevalent among older women due to sarcopenia.

Advocacy for Muscle Loss Research

In this section, the speaker talks about the need for advocacy for research on muscle loss. They mention how there are many drugs marketed and utilized for obesity treatment while only a handful of drugs exist for treating muscle loss.

Advocacy for Research on Muscle Loss

The public needs to become advocates for research on muscle loss since it is an existential threat that overwhelms almost everything else.

The number one risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease is years of diabetes and obesity, and even moderate amounts of physical activity can help prevent it.

Almost every age-related disease is related to muscle in some way or another.