Don't Get Old, Get Strong!

Resistance Exercise, Aging, Disuse, and Muscle Protein Metabolism

Muscle mass is dictated by two dynamic processes—muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB). What this means is that both resistance training and eating plenty of protein are critical to healthy aging!

Resistance training (RT) is the most potent nonpharmacological intervention capable of increasing MPS, skeletal muscle mass, and function.

Aging and disuse have deleterious consequences for skeletal muscle mass and function.

Additional recent research discusses the importance muscle mass and strength in shortening hospital stay for COVID.

"Our findings suggest that low muscle mass could contribute to higher LOS [length of stay] among COVID-19 patients. During a critical illness, net breakdown of muscle protein is stimulated to provide abundant amino acids to meet these increased demands of tissues such as immune cells and liver.14 In this context, patients with limited muscle mass reserves would presumably be more vulnerable to stress factors, such as severe burn injuries and cancer.26, 27 The present findings suggest that this could be the case of COVID-19."