How to eat to avoid sarcopenia? Nutritionist: Take four doses to supplement vitamin D and high-quality protein

In recent years, Taiwan's aging trend due to its declining birthrate has been irreversible. The National Development Council estimates that by 2025, Taiwan will enter a super-aged society, with one in five people being over 65 years old. By 2034, more than half of the country's population will be over 50 years old. This means that the elderly population is increasing rapidly, and age-related diseases are receiving more and more attention. However, sarcopenia is the hottest issue among the elderly in recent years.

In addition to aging, the risk factors of sarcopenia are also closely related to lack of exercise and unbalanced nutrition. So if you want to stay away from sarcopenia and have a healthy and happy aging life, you can actually start with your daily diet. The following will share with you how to correctly consume nutrition to avoid or reduce the problem of sarcopenia.

The first of the four prescriptions for dangerous muscles: a balanced diet

The primary principle of diet for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia is to consume a balanced diet of the six major food groups, which provides the calories and various nutrients required by the human body, enables the physiological functions to function normally, and maintains a healthy body. The six major food groups are: (1) whole grains, (2) beans, fish, eggs and meat, (3) vegetables, (4) fruits, (5) dairy products and (6) oils, fats, nuts and seeds. According to the dietary guidelines released by the National Health Administration, the dietary needs of the elderly are the same as those of ordinary adults. They can eat 1.5-3 bowls of whole grains, 3-5 plates of vegetables, 2-4 servings of fruit, 1-2 cups of milk, and about 3-8 taels of beans, fish, eggs and meat every day.

Most elderly people, due to dental problems, live alone for convenience or think that they should eat light and meat-free food as they are older. They often just have a meal with some rice or some boiled noodles with gravy or vegetable sauce, or sometimes just heat up the leftovers from the previous day. If it is due to dental problems, you can solve it by changing the cooking method or texture of the food. For example, if the elderly cannot chew meat or vegetables, you can feed them steamed eggs or soy products instead, and add the vegetables to the soup and cook them until they are a little soft. If you want convenience and balance, you can add some vegetables or eggs to the soup when cooking noodles. Cook the rice into dry soft rice or porridge and add pumpkin, sweet potato, bean eggs, fish, meat, etc., so that elderly people living alone with bad teeth can get balanced nutrition.

Second dose of the fourth dose of Wei Ji: high-quality protein

The average person's protein intake is about 0.8-1.0 g/kg body weight, but this is not enough for the elderly. Due to muscle loss, the protein required by the elderly is recommended to be increased to 1.2-1.5 g/kg body weight. The timing of eating is also very important. It is necessary to avoid concentrating protein in one meal and evenly distribute it among the three meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner to maximize muscle synthesis. It is also recommended to consume beans, fish, eggs, meat or dairy products within 30 minutes to 1 hour after exercise, which can increase more muscle mass than eating 2 hours after exercise. For example, a healthy elderly person weighing 50 kg needs to consume 60-75 grams of protein per day, of which two-thirds should be high-quality protein. Therefore, it is recommended to evenly distribute 6-7 servings of beans, fish, eggs, meat or dairy products into three meals a day. The sources of high-quality protein are as follows:

 One serving of bean, fish, eggs and meat

Beans, fish eggs and meat. (Photo provided by Far Eastern Hospital)

 One serving of dairy products

Dairy products. (Photo provided by Far Eastern Hospital)

The third dose of the fourth dose of Wei Ji: Leucine

Leucine is an essential amino acid that cannot be synthesized by the human body and must therefore be obtained from food. Studies have shown that choosing foods rich in leucine in moderation, 2.8-3 grams per day, can help stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

Fourth dose of the four-dose regimen: Vitamin D

Studies have shown that a lack of vitamin D can reduce muscle strength and may lead to sarcopenia in severe cases. This is because the vitamin D receptors on muscle cells can promote myosin synthesis and maintain muscle function and strength. Therefore, it is recommended to consume foods rich in vitamin D, such as: oily fish (sardines, tuna, salmon, mackerel, saury), milk, cheese, egg yolks or mushrooms (black fungus, dried shiitake mushrooms, etc.), and have sufficient sunlight to help the skin activate vitamin D for the body to use. Taiwan has sufficient sunlight, and it is recommended that the elderly use the morning or evening time every day to bask in the sun for 15-30 minutes to help activate vitamin D in the body.

If a blood test reveals that the vitamin D concentration in the blood is too low, studies have shown that supplementing with activated vitamin D3 (700-800 IU per day) to make vitamin D> 75nmol/L is beneficial to physical function performance and prevention of falls. For elderly people with normal blood vitamin D levels, vitamin D supplementation is ineffective.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that proper diet combined with effective exercise is essential to preventing muscle loss. In terms of exercise, the main focus is on increasing muscle impedance exercises to improve muscle strength and endurance; let us cultivate good eating and exercise habits to stay away from sarcopenia.