Combatting Mid-Life Muscle Loss: Causes and Prevention Strategies

Why Men Lose Muscle Mass in Middle Age – And How to Fight

People tend to notice that beginning in their 30s and 40s, men often lose some muscle mass and strength over time. Loss of strength as a result of aging is called sarcopenia by doctors. As people get older, it may progress quickly in some cases, lowering physical abilities, making falls more likely and causing a reduced quality of life.

What Causes Middle Age Men to Lose Muscle?

* The greatest change in hormones is dropping testosterone levels. The amount of testosterone affects how much muscle protein the body produces and how much it keeps. Because there is less in the body as you age, the process of creating and fixing muscles becomes slower. Other hormones such as growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), go down too, affecting the process of muscle growth.

A lack of regular physical activity is a big reason for heart problems. Over time, senior men tend to move less and their muscles become less used. If you don’t regularly challenge your muscles, they become smaller and weaker. A lack of regular strength training greatly hurts your progress.

Anabolic Resistance: Adults, regardless of nutrition and exercise, tend to find it harder for older muscles to respond to common anabolic effects (i.e., protein and strength training) compared to younger muscles. So, to build and maintain muscles, people now need more protein and a better training push than before.

Getting older can also reduce the number of motor neurons which play a part in transmitting brain commands to muscles. When the number of these nerve connections decreases, it may result in muscle weakness and loss.

Chronic Inflammation: Low-grade, chronic inflammation, which often comes with aging or lifestyle factors such as obesity, can work against muscle-protein synthesis and aid muscle breakdown.

* Inadequate Nutrition: Inadequate protein intake is another chief concern. Protein becomes the building block for muscle, and older adults seem to require more protein than their younger counterparts to maintain muscle mass. Moreover, deficiencies in essential nutrients like vitamin D may also be detrimental to muscle health.

How to Counteract the Process?

The good news is that sarcopenia is not a continuous and irreversible process. With the right actions, men can easily counteract muscular atrophy and even regain lost muscle mass and strength.

* Prioritize Resistance Training: Resistance training (or strength training) is the single most effective action. Resistance training can be any strength challenge, be it weight lifting, bodyweight exercises (males can do push-ups?), or resistance bands. These forms of exercise directly encourage muscle protein synthesis. Aim for 2-3 times per week altogether with hitting all major muscle groups. Take it slow and gradually add intensity and volume.

Read More : 5 Everyday Habits Which can Prevent Heart Disease

* Optimize Protein Intake: Increase your daily protein intake. While the RDA is around 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, literature suggests older adults may need between 1.0 and 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to combat sarcopenia effectively. You should try and distribute protein into all of your meals and snacks throughout the day. Great sources of protein include lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and nuts.

* Maintain Daily Physical Activity: In addition to resistance training, maintaining daily physical activity will stave off muscle disuse. Engage in physically active pursuits during the day such as: walking, hiking, biking, swimming, etc.

* Ensure Adequate Intake of Vitamin D: Vitamin D is very instrumental in muscular function. Make sure you are getting adequate amounts of it via sunlight, fortified foods, so that it fulfills your need.

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