“Sarcopenia: It’s a tricky name for something we already know,” says registered dietitian Noreen Roche.
While it is normal to lose some muscle mass due to aging, sarcopenia is characterized by a severe decline in muscle mass and mass, which has a major impact on quality of life. Before you decide this doesn’t apply to you, it’s important to realize that these physical changes can begin as early as age 40. After all, aging is a lifelong process.
Roche notes that “sarcopenia has been recognized for quite some time in the oldest age group, those over 60, but we are now recognizing that it can start from the age of 40 or earlier. It’s important for younger people to learn about muscle loss as we age, as it has many implications for how we age well.”
The large-scale national representative Irish Longitudinal Study of Aging (TILDA), notes that one in five people in Ireland will be aged 65 or over by 2030, with the largest increase in people in the 80+ category. Life expectancy is increasing, but ensuring that health and independence are maintained during those extra years is a challenge. Sarcopenia can cause falls, functional impairment, and disability. It’s never too late, or too early, to work on maintaining muscle mass and strength as we age, to improve our overall quality of life, and to prevent sarcopenia.
According to Roche, there are two key things to keep in mind:
- Exercise, especially exercise that leads to good muscle contraction. that is, resistance exercise.
For example, walking is good, but taking the stairs is even better. Roche also recommends incorporating simple movements into daily life: for example, gardening and pulling things; vacuuming; carry a shopping bag from the car; pick up a bottle of water while brushing your teeth. - Nutrition: Our protein needs increase as we age, and protein plays a key role in maintaining muscle strength.
Last year, the Food Safety Authority published updated recommendations for older adults, citing the need for a “higher protein diet to prevent frailty” and reiterating that “the combination of a dietary pattern that provides adequate protein and Physical activity is necessary starting in middle age. to prevent sarcopenia and frailty in adulthood”.
Proteins are the building blocks of the body, stimulating muscle tissue to grow and get stronger. There are 20 amino acids in protein, nine of which are essential and must be incorporated into the diet. High-quality protein from animal sources (the top five are canned tuna, beef, chicken, canned sardines, and eggs) contain all nine essential amino acids, while plant-based foods like lentils, beans, and peanuts classified as lower. -Quality proteins since they have fewer essential amino acids.
Proteins that contain the essential amino acid leucine are of particular importance for the formation of lean, healthy muscle tissue. Canned tuna is one of the richest sources of protein and leucine and family owned and Donegal based Shines Seafood produces the best in the country. They are the only company in the world to preserve Irish wild albacore in olive oil, a product awarded with the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Award 2018.
Canned sardines also punch above their weight when it comes to protein and leucine.
Roche points out that the best way to consume protein is not all at once: “The traditional way of eating protein was to have a lot of protein in one meal, but we now know that the key to triggering muscle growth is to spread protein throughout the body. day in smaller quantities.”
The Irish Food Safety Authority recommends that high-quality protein foods be eaten at least twice a day and Roche says breakfast and lunch are ideal times to increase intake – canned fish can be a “handy snack”. or a lunch, while It’s also a good idea to incorporate eggs into breakfasts.
Roche insists that we need to start looking at muscle strength from an early age, adding better amounts of high-quality protein foods to the diet for people over 40, and incorporating resistance exercise into daily activity.
1. Tuna, canned in sunflower oil
2. Beef, sirloin steak, grilled: Boxes of salt-cured steak can be ordered at jameswhelanbutchers.com
3. Chicken, Brisket, Grilled: Get free range chicken at thevillagebutcher.ie
4. Sardines, canned in sunflower oil
5. Boiled Eggs: Order organic, grass-fed eggs at magnersfarm.com
Plant-based protein-rich foods that are a source of leucine
1. Split Red Lentils
2. Red beans
3. Dry Roasted Peanuts
* Source: Report of the Scientific Committee of the Irish Food Safety Authority
.
