The Whole View, Season 3, Episode 78: Forever Strong, How Muscles Help Us Age Well w/ Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

Welcome medical practitioner, author, and founder of The Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon to The Whole View. Stacy and Dr. Lyon discuss why optimizing muscles through food and movement is key to health, especially as we age. Dr. Lyon explains that it’s never too late to develop the confidence that comes with being physically capable and strong.

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Key Takeaways 

Introductions

  • Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, is the founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine. Dr. Lyon is a nationally recognized speaker and media contributor specializing in brain and thyroid health, lean body mass support, and longevity.
  • Furthermore, she is board certified in Family Medicine and completed a combined research and clinical fellowship in Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her undergraduate training in Nutritional Sciences: Vitamin & Mineral Metabolism at the University of Illinois.
  • She has also been featured on CNBC, in Women’s Health, Men’s Journal, Yahoo Life, Muscle & Fitness, and many more. Her clinical practice services the leaders, innovators, mavericks, and executives in their prospective fields. Her upcoming book, Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well, releases 10/17!

How Muscles Help Us Age Well

  • Muscle is soft tissue, and a whole skeletal muscle is an organ of the muscular system. It’s under voluntary control and very “plastic” or malleable.
  • Dr. Lyon describes skeletal muscle as the “metabolic sink” responsible for glucose disposal. Skeletal muscle stores about 80% of glucose. It’s also a site for fatty acid oxidation, where we burn fat in the mitochondria. Furthermore, it’s an endocrine organ. When it contracts, releases myokines. Plus, it helps helps with nutrient partitioning. And, ultimately, it’s our body armor.
  • In order to have healthy muscles, you need enough of it and to also create flux through exercise, as static muscles become overpacked with glucose.
  • We have this narrative that women shouldn’t be big and strong. So what we see primarily for people that are starting with lower muscle mass and then encouraged to have these behavior patterns is that they further reduce healthy skeletal muscles. Unfortunately this leads to an increase in diseases, especially around menopause. So sarcopenia is finaly being recognized, as it’s an age-related, involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength
  • Stacy and Dr. Lyons discuss push-back from folks who are not consuming animal protein with beliefs around it harming our planet and bodies. Dr. Lyon says that getting enough high quality dietary protein, with the 9 essenital amino acids, is critical. While you can get all the amino acids you need with a plant-based diet, though they tend to be lower quality.

Next Steps

  • Strive for a balanced nutrition plan that included both plants and animals, and increase protein if you’re not already getting enough. About 40% of women aren’t getting enough protein
  • So the most important thing people can do for aging is resistance training. About 23% of adults are meeting their exercise requirements.
  • Resistance training is moving anything against force. Ideally, work up to 3-4 days of resistance training, which can be body weight exercises.

Studies, References & Products

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Note: Stacy and her guests are not medical professionals. This podcast is for general educational purposes and NOT intended to diagnose, advise, or treat any physical or mental illness. We always recommend you consult a licensed service provider.

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