I'd swear that my body is less good at absorbing nutrition/nutrients from food than it was 20 or 30 years ago.
Older Individual' Assimilation
As we age, we become less efficient with the assimilation of food, especially protein.
More protein is required for an older individuals to produce the same effect of a younger individuals.
mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin
mTOR is the anabolic trigger for muscle growth. It is triggered by...
1) Leucine, an Amino Acid. Research (Drs Layne Norton and Donald Layman) determined that approximately 2.5 gram or more of Leucine is needed for younger individual to activate mTOR.
Older individual need around 3.0 gram of Leucine to activate mTOR.
Percentage Leucine In Proteins
The percentage of Leucine varies dependent on the protein.
1) Whey Protein: Approximately 10% is Leucine
a) Younger Individuals: 25 gram of Whey would provide the 2.5 gram of Leucine needed.
b) Older Individuals: 30 gram of Whey would provide the 3.0 gram of Leucine needed.
2) Casein, Meats, Eggs, Milk, Cheese: Approximately 8% Leucine
a) Younger Individuals: 32 gram of the above would provide the 2.5 gram of Leucine needed.
b) Older Individuals: 38 gram of above would provide the 3.0 gram of Leucine needed.
3) Plant Based Proteins: Their Leucine content is roughly around 50% of meat and dairy; you need to double it.
The Link between Dietary Protein Intake, Skeletal Muscle Function and Health in Older Adults
"...Pulse feeding of protein increased postprandial amino acid bioavailability [59] and increased lean mass [60] compared to spreading protein intake throughout the day.
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Protein Pulsing for Muscle | T Nation
..."Protein synthesis rates have been shown to decline with age so lifters over 40 may require larger doses to get the same bump in protein synthesis as their younger counterparts."
"...The solution is simple – just eat larger servings of protein!"
"From a timing perspective, you don't want solid food meals any closer together than every 4-5 hours."
The Refractory Period and Muscle Protein Synthesis
The dogma regarding eating every protein every three hours is incorrect and counter productive.
Research (Dr Layne Norton) found that consuming protein every 4 - 6 hours elicited the greatest Muscle Protein Synthesis, MPS. That means it triggers the greatest anabolic, muscle building effect for everyone, young and old alike.
Pulse Feeding Summary
1) Older individual's digestive systems are not as efficient as younger individual.
2) Research has determined that older individuals can obtain a similar protein anabolic effect to younger individuals by a consuming a larger amount of protein during meals that are spaced farther apart.
Younger individual need to space meals farther apart but don't require the same amount of protein to obtain the same anabolic effect.
3) The key to tripping the mTOR anabolic switch is to ingest the right amount of Leucine in the protein that you are consuming.
Different type of protein provide different percentages of Leucine. That needs to be taken into consideration when making your protein choices.
Spiking A Meal with Leucine or Branch Chain Amino Acids
Older individuals who find consuming a large amounts of protein difficult, such as 38 gram, with each meal can take some Leucine or Branch Chain Amino Acids with their meal. Research shows that works.
Final Thought
Exercise also turn mTOR on.
Kenny Croxdale
