If you’re an older adult, listen up: This simple change could make you thin.
According to a new study reported in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, older adults who ate twice as much protein had higher muscle protein synthesis–something that helped them maintain more muscle.
And more muscle means a higher metabolism.
“Although there was no clear effect of the pattern of protein intake in our study, we observed a definitive effect of a higher amount of protein intake in mixed meals on whole body net protein balance and muscle protein synthesis,” write researchers in the online version of the journal. “Whole body net protein balance was greater with protein intake above recommended dietary allowance.”
Their Findings
The study, which was first reported last week, examined 20 adults between 52 to 75, who were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Two groups ate a diet where they ate 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, the recommended daily allowance for adults, though when they ate it differed. The other two groups, on the other hand, ate double this amount, varying when they ate it. When they ate it differed because researchers wanted to see if changing when people ate protein affected their muscle protein synthesis.
By the end of the study, researchers had their answer: The timing didn’t matter. What did matter, however, is how much they ate–and the more they ate, the better. Doing so increased their muscle protein synthesis, something that helps people maintain or gain more muscle.
In previous research, having more muscle mass was associated with a higher metabolism, something that, not surprisingly, makes it easier to lose weight.
“Contrary to our initial hypothesis, we found no significant differences in protein kinetics at whole body or muscle level with respect to the effect of protein intake patterns,” write researchers. “In conclusion, in the context of a mixed meal, whole body net protein balance increases in older individuals with protein intake above the RDA, without demonstrated effects of protein intake pattern.”
While the research requires “further investigation,” say researchers, the evidence does show that eating more protein is good for you, especially if you’re an older adult. And that, for some people, could mean eating as much as over 100 grams of protein per day.
If you’re worried that eating too much protein could be harmful, however, don’t stress it–though it’s a common myth that excess protein could harm your kidneys, research hasn’t found that to be true for health individuals. If you do have kidney problems, however, you may want to find other ways to increase your metabolism, such as utilizing interval exercises.
Readers: Do you think eating a lot of protein is safe?
Sources:
Older Adults: Double Your Protein to Build More Muscle – ScienceDaily.com
Quality of Dietary Protein Intake, But Not Pattern of Intake, Primarily Through Differences in Protein Synthesis in Older Adults – Physiology.org
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