The risks of consuming too little protein

Good morning from Dubai,

Everyone seems to be starting a “diet”—I’ve heard this word at least four times over the past couple of days.

“I’m starting this diet,” or “I’m starting that diet,” but let me tell you, even if you had a twin brother or sister, the same nutritional approach wouldn’t necessarily work for them.

For example, imagine a study where a group of identical mice is divided into three groups:

• One on a low-calorie diet.

• Another on a medium-calorie diet.

• And the third allowed to eat as much as they wanted.

All the mice were monitored until death. The results showed that those on the low-calorie diet lived the longest, followed by the medium-calorie group, and then the group that could eat as much as they wanted.

Interestingly, within the third group, not all mice consumed the same amount of food. Those that ate more lived longer than those that ate less.

See?

A study is published online every 30 seconds. With such an overwhelming amount of data and the difficulty of monitoring nutrition in an open environment, we certainly cannot rely on any specific “diet.”

That’s why I prefer to provide nutritional frameworks, show you the extremes, and let you decide what works best for YOU and your lifestyle.

Today, we are covering protein.

We live in a protein-deprived society, so I want to be clear about the dangers of consuming too little protein.

Protein is the only macronutrient that can prevent muscle loss, which is one of the main cornerstones of longevity.

Here are three fascinating Harvard stats on muscle mass:

1. Men will lose about 30% of muscle during their lifetimes.
   This is an impressive stat at face value. But what’s 10x more impressive is that people with muscle loss had 2.3 times the risk of having a trauma fracture from a fall.

2. After 30, you lose 5% of muscle per decade.
   This means that if you are not proactively exercising to build muscle, you are losing it. Subjects diagnosed with sarcopenia had a 1.39 times higher risk of dying, independent of other known risk factors such as IHD, ADL, age, or gender.

3. The best way to build muscle, no matter your age, is resistance training.
   This stat is mind-boggling: 49 studies of men ages 50 to 83 who practiced resistance training found that subjects averaged a 2.4-pound increase in lean body mass.

So how do you avoid muscle loss? Practice resistance training and consume sufficient protein.

It's not just about how much protein you consume, but also how often.

As we age, our ability to synthesize protein decreases, so this needs to be taken into account.

How much?

Is there any danger in consuming too much protein?

Unlike glucose, we do not store protein. Excess protein is largely excreted in real time through the urinary system. RDA recommendations are very low, especially for aging individuals.

1g per pound of body weight is ideal.

Fact: If people don’t think about it, they tend to under-consume protein. Most of the time, they don’t know what it looks like on a plate. Therefore, you need to plan and be thoughtful.

How often?

Aim for 3-4 servings per day. Each intake needs to be sufficiently large (above 15 grams) so it is not used as fuel by the liver but is instead used for muscle protein synthesis (MPS).

However, it shouldn’t be so much that it’s excreted.

Aim for anywhere between 30-50 grams per serving.

Top tip: There isn’t a specific amount of protein to consume around a workout that will maximize benefits, but if you are starting your fitness journey and not in shape yet, the sooner after your workout you eat protein, the better.

Client of the week, Yalin, SVP

It's hard to see you go, but I've done my job. You are now equipped to continue the journey on your own and inspire others with everything we have achieved. Once a student, always a friend.

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That's it for today.

See you later in the week.

Become an asset, not a liability, to those around you.