“with a caution that older people may need higher protein to fight sarcopenia and frailty.”
Certainly a fine line for seniors to walk.
More guidance is needed.
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At 64 years old I hardly consider myself a Senior. Lol. Maybe at 70… just maybe.
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We are trying to balance mTOR inhibition through rapamycin with mTOR stimulation for muscle building. mTOR is activated by resistance training, growth factors (like IGF-1, growth hormone, and insulin), and amino acids (particularly leucine).
Rapamycin partially inhibits mTOR, and Stuart Phillips says in the video (1:02:25) that for muscle protein synthesis, “IGF-1 has to be there, but it is not a stimulatory or inhibitory hormone,” so what does rapamycin do to their common pathway?
Referring to the suggestion of the consumption of 1.6g protein/kg body mass/d, as opposed to 1.2g, he says that, if you are younger, you get most of the benefit from just going to the gym, and the protein effect is just a thin layer on top, and that for older people, going to the gym is even more important. He also says that the closer you get to your requirement, your body actually gets much more efficient at utilizing protein: this is the basis for his 1.2g/kg recommendation for most people.
Rapamycin is only a partial mTOR inhibitor, especially with weekly dosing, so why would I want to reduce its effectiveness by constantly stimulating mTOR via high protein? Also, rapamycin helps preserve lean muscle, though we don’t know how.
My conclusion (for most people) is that 1.2g/kg is adequate for supporting resistance training, that higher daily protein is unnecessary and possibly counterproductive for longevity, and that resistance exercise 2-3 times/week for 30 minutes each time is adequate for maintaining muscle and strength with aging.
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Still a work in progress but right now I think that I will plan an alternating system for testing rapamycin. It would be something like this: one week, much proteins, not counting but just much, almost bulking, and strong emphasis on resistance training. Then a couple days only aerobic and plant based keto (minimal proteins), then at least one day fast, with rapamycin the morning of the first day of fasting (that would be about 16 hours after my last meal, as I eat between 8am and 4pm). And that week, emphasis on aerobic training, very few resistance training, almost vegan diet.
During the protein weeks, I would take the “growth” supplements (NAD boosters, HGH boosters, urolithin a, etc.), and stop all this during the two transition days leading to the rapamycin weeks. So I would take only 2 doses of rapamycin per month and optimize the effect of those doses by favoring autophagy during their period of action.
I’m going to think about it in more details, and when it will be clear, I’ll start that rythm without rapamycin, monitor for a couple months, than add rapamycin to the mix. So its effect should be quite clear.
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I think we should stop thinking about this as needing a certain mass per day.
We pulse the Rapa, so why not pulse the protein as and when it is required after the heavy weights workout and really cut back protein on other occasions (especially on the day or taking Rapa).
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Exactly. Do what makrs sense.
Charles, looking amazing for sure!
Looking like that at age of 80 … people can dream, so much muscle tone … and no sarcopenia … at all … great job buddy, great job!
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Did you know that Agatston, the creator of the coronary calcium score , wrote the South Beach Diet book stressing high protein?
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That’s me steak and whole milk… on gym night…
which is every other day. Strength and energy.
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That’s good to hear because that is the diet I am on, not by planning, but evolving in what kind of diet I can stick to long term.
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Even though I’ve largely given up meat and cut back on dairy/eggs, I think higher protein is important as we get older. I blame GameChangers for the meat part.
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I have loss of appetite too and this for me is not a good thing
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Here a bit on protein importance… amount and its impact.
Especially in conjunction with working out.
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