DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Professor Karen Esser, an expert on the circadian rhythms of muscles and how they affect strength and health as we age. Esser explains that maintaining muscle strength is crucial for overall health, metabolic function, and independent living as we get older. She discusses how muscles have their own internal clocks that regulate gene expression and prepare them for activity and rest at different times of day.
Esser's research has found that humans are strongest in the afternoon, and the time of exercise can actually shift the phase of muscle clocks. She suggests exercising in the afternoon if possible, or being consistent with exercise timing to align with the body's natural rhythms. The episode also covers the impact of time-restricted eating on muscle mass, with Esser's studies in mice showing benefits of limiting eating to an 8-9 hour window.
Esser emphasizes the importance of personalization, as the ideal exercise and eating patterns may vary based on age, health conditions, and individual goals. For older adults focused on maintaining muscle and bone health, she advises extending the eating window and prioritizing protein intake later in the day when muscles are primed for storage.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Maintaining muscle strength is crucial for overall health, metabolic function, and independent living as we age.
- Muscles have their own internal circadian clocks that regulate gene expression and prepare them for activity and rest at different times of day.
- Humans tend to be strongest in the afternoon, and the timing of exercise can shift the phase of muscle clocks.
- Time-restricted eating, limiting food intake to an 8-9 hour window, can help maintain muscle mass and metabolic health.
- The ideal exercise and eating patterns may vary based on age, health conditions, and individual goals, requiring personalization.
- For older adults focused on maintaining muscle and bone health, extending the eating window and prioritizing protein intake later in the day may be beneficial.
- While age-related muscle loss is inevitable, staying active and optimizing exercise and nutrition routines can help mitigate this process and maintain strength and function.
- Muscles play a critical role in metabolic health and blood sugar regulation, making their maintenance essential for overall wellbeing.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “What I will say is the data for muscle strength and maintenance of muscle strength with aging or in conditions of a variety of different chronic diseases is really quite stunning.“ by Karen Esser
- “So there's about 20 plus years of epidemiological data that make very clear that loss of strength and secondarily loss of muscle mass increases your probability of bad outcomes. That is death in many ways.“ by Karen Esser
- “So I think it's important for everybody to understand that healthy muscle is part of the equation for everybody to have healthy metabolism, healthy blood sugar management.“ by Karen Esser
- “No matter what, you're going to lose strength with age. We have not figured out how to stop that process.“ by Karen Esser
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Episode Information
ZOE Science & Nutrition
ZOE
4/4/24
Our bodies naturally follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, called our circadian rhythm. And every cell has a rhythm.
As we get older, we tend to lose muscle, making us more prone to falls and less able to live independently. Though we can't stop aging, staying active helps keep our muscles strong and our bodies healthy for longer.
Prof. Karyn Esser is a specialist in how the body's natural rhythms affect muscles. Today, she guides us through the latest research and shows that it's always possible to harness the power of your muscles to enhance your quality of life. She is a professor in the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida, where she’s also the co-director of the University of Florida Older Americans Independence Center.
In today's episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Karyn explore the body's internal clocks and ask: why do our muscles have their own schedule, and is there an ideal time of day to exercise?
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Timecodes
00:00 Introduction
00:18 Quickfire questions
02:01 Why are muscles important, particularly as we get older?
08:45 Why we all lose strength as we age
11:07 What type of exercise do we need to maintain our muscle strength as we age?
14:55 What is a circadian clock?
19:25 Everything has a circadian rhythm
21:32 Why do our muscles work on a 24-hour cycle?
24:20 Humans are stronger in the afternoon
30:24 Is there a best time to exercise?
35:01 Can exercise before or after work help shift workers with jet lag?
37:33 Is there a difference between men and women’s responses to circadian rhythms?
41:44 What are the effects of time-restricted eating on muscle mass?
53:42 Summary
Mentioned in today's episode:
Defining the age-dependent and tissue-specific circadian transcriptome in male mice from Cell Reports
Related studies:
Timing is everything: Circadian clocks set the rhythm for vital functions in bacteria from the University of Chicago
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