Gender Wars: Staying in Shape
Reported March 28, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Ladies — the trouble staying in shape may not be in your head. New research reveals women may have a harder time staying in shape as they age than men.
New research shows it is harder for women to replace the muscle they naturally lose as they get older because of the way their bodies react to food.
Researchers found post-menopausal women were less able to store protein in muscle probably due to hormonal changes. The scientists say their results are similar to other research that shows older women are less able to build muscle after lifting weights.
The study shows the female bodys response to food and exercise starts to decline in its mid- to late-60s. Women are especially at risk of muscle loss because they tend to have less muscle and more fat than men in early and middle age, making them closer to the danger of becoming frail in their 50s and 60s.
The findings stress how important it is for older women to combine resistance training with a diet high in protein.
Rather than eating more, older people should focus on eating a higher proportion of protein in their everyday diet, study author Michael Rennie, from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, was quoted as saying. In conjunction with resistance exercise, this should help to reduce the loss of muscle mass over time. There is also a case for the beneficial hormonal effect of limited HRT [hormone replacement therapy], although this has to be balanced against the other risks associated with such treatment.
Maintaining muscle is critical in reducing the risk of falls — one of the major causes of premature death in the elderly. Half of seniors who have a serious fall die within two years.
SOURCE: PLoS One, published online March 25, 2008