Is your diet making you weak? New research links eating the wrong things to muscle loss

(NaturalHealth365)  There is no doubt that ultra-processed food causes weight gain, irritability, food dependence, and disordered eating and contributes to a variety of other health problems.  Scientists have spent years working to make foods hyperpalatable by adding textures, fats, sugars, flavors, and colors that do not naturally occur.

But, beyond just weight gain, a recent study asked if ultra-processed food could actually lead to muscle loss.  The findings are terrifying and add another layer to the pile of reasons for you to avoid ultra-processed food.  Let’s take a look at the study, the science, what it means for you, and how you can avoid these outcomes.

Ultra-processed foods may be destroying your muscle strength, new study suggests

Almost everything we eat goes through some processing.  Grinding wheat into flour, cooking meals, or preserving food with salt are age-old techniques people have used for centuries to make food tastier and easier to digest.

But over the last 50 years, the food industry’s focus has shifted.  Instead of prioritizing nutrition, it’s become more about increasing profits.  As a result, much of the food on grocery store shelves today is more processed and more harmful than ever before.

A recent study investigated this issue by analyzing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.  Researchers looked at the eating habits of over 10,000 adults aged 20 to 59, tracking their diets between 2011 and 2018.  Their goal?  To see if there was a link between ultra-processed food consumption and sarcopenia – the medical term for muscle loss or muscle wasting.

After accounting for other factors like smoking and genetic predispositions, a clear pattern emerged.  Participants who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a significantly higher risk – about 60% – of losing muscle mass than those who ate less.  And this wasn’t just among people with other health concerns.  Even in otherwise healthy participants, the connection between ultra-processed food and muscle loss held strong.

The takeaway?  What you eat matters.  And while processed food might be convenient, it could quietly undermine your body’s strength over time.

Why are ultra-processed foods dangerous?

Ultra-processed foods aren’t just bad because of all the sugar and artificial colors.  They’re terrible for your muscles because they lack real nutrition.  Your muscles need protein, minerals, and nutrients daily to grow and stay strong.

What’s most concerning about this study is that people between 20 and 39 lost the most muscle.   Normally, age-related muscle loss doesn’t start until your 50s if you’re inactive.  Seeing young people losing muscle just from eating ultra-processed junk?  That’s a serious red flag.

How to avoid dietary sarcopenia

One of the easiest ways to ensure that you are preserving your muscle is to eat enough protein, and one of the easiest ways to get more protein is to eat whole foods like 100% grass fed meat, pasture raised eggs, raw dairy, and organic fruits or vegetables.  Even vegetarians can get adequate protein with spirulina, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds.  When you venture into ultra-processed foods, even high protein varieties, you are starving your body of actual nutrition.

Beyond that, getting and maintaining muscle is far easier if you are actively exercising.  One of the biggest risk factors for serious or fatal injuries as we age is the loss of skeletal muscle.   Older people, in particular, who exercise regularly are significantly more resilient to a fall than those who don’t.  One of the best ways to maintain muscle as we age is to start exercising as early and consistently as possible.

Coupling a diet that is high in natural, organic whole food protein sources, very low in ultra-processed food, and with an adequate amount of physical resistance exercise is the best way to gain muscle and hold on to it for decades throughout our life.

Avoiding ultra-processed food not only can help save muscle, but it can improve your health in a variety of other ways.

Sources for this article include:

Frontiersin.org

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