Experts warn: after fifty there are no muscles, this is the only solution to avoid the influence of age | Lifestyle

Get enough protein to prevent muscle loss after 40.

“The imperceptible loss of muscle mass due to reduced levels of normal activity can be detrimental to our health in the long term,” says Peta B, health and wellbeing editor at The Times, quoting Jimmy McPhee, professor of musculoskeletal physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, as saying : “Normal muscle loss with age will translate into more muscle loss through neglect; without a commitment to exercise from middle age onwards, most people in their forties will become weaker as a result.”

When we look at the Olympics and professional sporting events that represent the pinnacle of human athletic ability, we rarely see a competitor over 40, nor an athlete over 50; “Because with each further year we live, the response of the body and muscles to sports gradually declines.” As mentioned by Roger Fielding, Professor of Medicine at Tufts University, in an article published by The Conversation.

Fielding, who leads a team of scientists studying the health benefits of exercise and strength training for older adults, confirms that “the weaker response of the body and muscles to exercise after the age of forty is reason enough to continue exercising as you age.”

muscles and aging

When you do strength training, the difficulty you felt initially decreases, while the strength and size of the muscles increase over time. Lifting weights, doing push-ups, and other strength exercises cause muscles to increase in size and strength until they reach the “hypertrophy” stage.

It’s “the stage where your muscles get bigger muscle fibers and cells, which allows you to lift heavier weights”; According to Fielding, who adds that “constant exercise allows you to gradually increase the weights until your muscles are bigger and stronger; either the lack of exercise or the lack of exercise will allow many biological processes to cause the muscles to become less efficient”; This makes it difficult for older people to build strength unless they continue to exercise.

Fielding and his colleagues found that “a little exercise produces a strong signal to initiate many of the processes that lead to the growth and strength of young muscles; in older people, the signal that tells muscles to grow is much weaker.” These changes begin to appear when a person reaches the age of 50, and over time they become more and more visible.

Fielding and his team also used a technique that allows them to measure the changes that occur in thousands of genes when they respond to resistance exercise, showing that “when young men exercise, there are changes involving more than 150 genes, but in the case of older men, changes occurred only in 42 genes.” And it is precisely this difference in genetic change that explains the difference between the response of young and old muscles to strength training.

Sport is one of the most important activities after forty

Most experts agree that the imbalance that leads to muscle loss is a natural process called sarcopenia, and it can lead to weakness and an increased risk of falls and loss of balance. It affects everyone starting around age 50, although some studies show it may start even earlier, but they agree that “an inactive lifestyle accelerates the process of deterioration.”

“After the age of forty, our muscles start to lose at a rate of 5% to 10% every 10 years of our lives,” says Bita B. “And it’s harder for men, because they have more muscle.” By age 80, “most people will have about 40 percent less muscle mass than when they were young.” It’s an aggravation that increases when we’re inactive, “even for a short time, even a few weeks.”

As for Fielding, he says: “Having demonstrated the differences in the level of response of older people to strength training, the conclusion is that they do not gain muscle mass as young people, but this should not discourage them from exercising, but rather encourage them to they exercise more with age.” And he stresses that “exercise is still the most important activity older people should be doing for their health,” as strength training can help maintain general fitness, “and allow you to keep doing the things you love as you age.”

Possible rebuilding

Fielding’s research found that “older people who exercise have a 20% lower risk of disability; frail people have a 20% lower risk of disability if they do the same exercise.”

Which means: “Older adults experience incredible health benefits from exercise, including increased physical strength and reduced disability.” So Fielding advises anyone over 50, saying, “When you work up a sweat during exercise, remember that you’re building important muscle strength to keep you moving and in good health throughout life.”

According to Professor of Musculoskeletal Physiology McPhee, “some strength can be restored even in the eighties, provided you are willing to put in some effort, because atrophic fibers can be enlarged with appropriate exercises and additional pressure on the muscles. , as the main catalyst that makes them adapt and actually increase their size.” “.

Also ensuring sufficient protein intake helps prevent muscle breakdown. A review by McMaster University in Canada found that consuming enough protein (1.6 grams per kilogram of your weight per day) significantly enhances the effects of strength training and that “those who ate this amount improved their strength by an additional 10% and gained about 25% more muscle the masses.”

Physiotherapist Gary Calabrese confirms this, saying, “Fortunately, it’s not too late, and you can fight muscle loss by staying physically active throughout your life and making nutrition important,” recommending that you be patient, “It may take 6 to 8 weeks for results.”