Prevent muscle loss and a decrease in immunity! Should I eat more meat to gain muscle? Doctors urge: Don’t step into the protein trap

Dietary restrictions and unbalanced nutrition during the epidemic prevention period may cause sarcopenia! When sarcopenia occurs, immunity will decline, which will invisibly increase the risk of infection! In addition, common myths about sarcopenia include "men have more muscles and a lower risk of sarcopenia than women". Are they true or false? Doctors remind that if you want to maintain your muscles and prevent aging, there are tips for nutritional supplements!

Huang Xinzhang, chairman of the Taiwan Family Medicine Association, said that as muscle mass decreases, immunity will also decline, which will invisibly increase the risk of infection. Therefore, gaining muscle and increasing immunity can be said to be the focus of health in the new post-epidemic life. .

According to a survey conducted by the Taiwan Association of Family Medicine on "Taiwan's Sarcopenia Risk" and nutritional status, the results showed that more than 46% of the research subjects were at risk of sarcopenia, which shows that the Taiwanese people are shrouded in the risk of sarcopenia. Huang Xinzhang, chairman of the Taiwan Family Medicine Association, said that as muscle mass decreases, immunity will also decline, which will invisibly increase the risk of infection. Therefore, gaining muscle and increasing immunity can be said to be the focus of health in the new post-epidemic life. Because muscles not only maintain the ability to take care of oneself, but also activate immune cells. That is to say, as muscle is lost, immunity will decrease and the risk of death from pneumonia will increase.

Myth 1: Men have more muscle mass and are less likely to develop sarcopenia than women

The survey also found that Chinese people have myths about sarcopenia, such as "Men have more muscles and a lower risk of sarcopenia than women" and "As you age, the less you eat, the better." Dr. Li Yuqing from the Family Medicine Department of Yuanrong Hospital Medical System explained the reasons one by one. It is generally believed in China that men with more muscles must have a lower risk of sarcopenia, but the survey results show that the risk for men (51%) is actually higher than that for women (43%), and less than one in every two people is at risk, which is completely different from the general perception.

Dr. Li Yuqing analyzed that due to natural hormones, men's muscle composition performance will be better maintained, but as they age, hormones change, and maintaining muscle mass requires more acquired efforts. The key to this is not just exercise, nutrition is also a major focus. Because innate hormone assistance and acquired active exercise can only increase the power of muscle building. If you want to gain muscle, you also need to ensure a balanced diet and consume sufficient muscle-building raw materials. Otherwise, as you age, your muscles may be lost more obviously.

Muscle loss and risk of decreased immunity. (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Family Medicine Association)

Myth 2: Is it healthier to eat less as you get older?

In addition, another common myth is "Is it healthier to eat less as I get older?" However, surveys show that when food intake begins to decrease slightly, the risk of sarcopenia increases from 38% to 64%. Dr. Li Yuqing analyzed that such results actually broke the general perception of the general Taiwanese people. We often think that "don't eat too much when you get older" and "you should eat less as your metabolism slows down as you get older", etc. However, the survey shows that the risk of sarcopenia soars as long as you eat less. If the food intake is severely reduced, the risk increases to 83%, challenging the traditional myth that "eating less is healthy."

The secret to muscle growth is to supplement protein for better absorption

How should we build muscle correctly in daily life? Dr. Li Yuqing said that daily dietary nutrition is ideal, but young and middle-aged people are busy with work and find it difficult to calculate protein intake. Middle-aged and older people have difficulty getting enough protein because of their poor appetite and teeth. In addition, what you eat is more important than how much you eat. If you consume too much meat and dairy products to supplement protein, the high fat content in red meat such as beef and pork and the high sodium content in dairy products may increase your risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is recommended to maintain a balanced diet through nutritional supplements. It is medically proven that well-absorbed protein can help enhance muscle-building benefits.

Finally, a reminder: after the age of 40, muscles will be lost at an average rate of 8% per year. Between the ages of 40 and 80, up to 40% of muscles may have been lost. Only by building up your muscles ahead of time when you are young can you gain the first "muscle" for health!