Shrinking

by Rob English

Why we Shrink

I was a muscular and robust American-football player in High School but over the years my body has shrunk. My muscles have reduced in volume and density under my skin. This happens to almost everyone, and it can pose issues over and above what we see in the mirror. Reduced musculature beginning in middle-age can lead to reduced overall strength, obviously, but also to dangerous falls – some people who suffered hip fractures report that they realized they were losing their balance but that their leg muscles could not react strongly enough to prevent their fall.

Why do our muscles atrophy? Lack of use? Programmed old age? Professor Doctor Donald Layman, PhD, of the University of Illinois is a world leading expert in the field of muscle development, and has studied this question extensively for approximately thirty years. He mentions two primary processes to explain why our muscles begin to go away in middle age, even in active people. Reason Number One is the normal hormonal change that happens to everyone around age twenty-five that reduces our body’s ability to make muscle out of small meals of protein. There’s not much we can do about that other than to eat more protein per meal.

Reason Number Two surprised me: According to Layman and others, our brains and our livers use significant amounts of protein overnight, including during hours when new protein is not being supplied by the digestive tract. To obtain the protein they need to keep us alive the brain and liver take it from our muscles! If we don’t consume enough protein to replace what gets “borrowed” in the night, over time the muscles in our faces, necks, legs, etc. become visibly and structurally reduced.

The wise youth will build muscle to act as a reservoir of overnight protein for future reference. Those of us who are over thirty might google Dr. Layman’s advice regarding how to exercise, and how much protein to consume in a day to avoid continued muscle wasting (also known as sarcopenia); and to discuss our findings with our doctors.

Images Credits: Photo of Football player by Grace, photo of dish by Polina Tankilevitch and photo of family enjoying dinner by Askar Abayev from pexels

Rob English is a member of People for Animal Rights, a grassroots organization in Central New York. He consumes plant-based protein.
Contact People for Animal Rights
PO Box # 401,
Cleveland, NY 13042
peopleforanimalrightsofcny@gmail.com
https://parcny.org/