Answering Listener Questions on Protein

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Hi, I'm Catherine Ryan, and you're listening to Dr. Nicholas's second opinion, the bonus podcast, where we unpack the secrets of biological aging with a healthy dose of hard science. Coming up, we'll bust some more myths on aging. Plus, we'll answer your questions and wrap it all up in a bow with Dr. Nick's Quick Fix, giving you something simple and powerful you can try today. This week we're bulking up on protein and asking what does it really do to our bodies and our biological age. Dr. Nicola's second opinion. Now this is a topic that's always seemed to spark debate in the wellness world. Do we need high protein? Do we need low protein ? Do we need powders, protein shakes, or should we just be getting everything from our food? And because of all this conflict and inflammation, it can sometimes feel a bit confusing about what you should be eating. So let's chip it back and see what the science says . So, first of all, what actually is prote in? Well, protein itself is actually made up of much smaller building blocks and these are called amino acids. And these amino acids are used throughout the body to basically build and repair tissues. And that's a really key point because although we often hear about protein for our muscles, protein definitely isn't just about muscle growth. In fact, pretty much every single part of our body is made up from some type of protein, from our hair, our skin , our nails, to enzymes inside of our cells and even our immune system. So it's absolutely fundamental to how the whole body works and maintains itself. So this might make you think that maybe more protein is better because the more you have, then the more building blocks you have, right? Well, it's not quite true because first thing is that our body can't store protein . So it doesn't matter how much you take, it will just take what it needs, and then the rest it literally just gets rid of. And the second thing is that when it comes to longevity and aging, there's been some debate that too much protein can actually drive aging because it overactivates a pathway in our cells, which is called mTOR. And whilst this is involved in growth, it's also linked to speeding up aging, which is not what we want to do. So once again, what we find is that the body really does like balance. It likes not too much and it likes not too little. So when it comes to protein, how much is actually enough? Well, this is the bit that might surprise you because despite all of the marketing hype about putting extra protein in everything, you know, we see it in extra protein yogurts and bars and bread and bagels. Actually, if you have a balanced diet, you're probably getting all the protein that you need already. Because the average person needs around one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. Now, as we age, this does change slightly because the body becomes less efficient at absorbing and using protein. So after age 65, it's recommended to increase this to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. But, and this is a big but, an important point that I want to make is that whilst everyone's obsessed with how much protein they should be having, one key factor that's often missed is the importance of the source of the protein that you are consuming. So you should be aiming to get the majority of your protein from plant sources. So things like beans, chickpeas, nuts, legumes , then dairy, then fish and eggs, and finally red meat. Because studies consistently show that replacing animal protein with plant protein improves long-ter hemalth outcom es. And finally, what about those protein powders? Well, personally, I would avoid they are technically ultra-processed foods and many of them are filled with artificial additives like flavorings, stabilizers, and thickeners. So I would 100% focused on food-based protein first. Dr. Nicola's second opinion. So as mentioned, protein's a topic that comes up quite a bit, and when comedian Sarah Pascoe was on the show who's vegan, she was telling me how she tries to build protein into her everyday diet, but she was concerned she wasn't getting enough, so I was on hand to explain how it worked The great thing about soup is you make it with whatever vegetables are about to go off. So you carrot, celery, onion, garlic is your base. Yeah. And then you can't go wrong with anything that you've got. A sweet, some potatoes, parsnips, and it is season. It's soup season now. Get into soups. Being vegan, it can be difficult to get the right amounts of protein in, but beans and pulses and things like that are a really good way of getting the protein in. People that do have a really high intake of animal protein that it can be linked to a higher biological age. And this is because when you have a lot of protein constantly, so you see in people like on carnivore diets and they're taking protein shakes all the day all day. Protein for the body is a signal to like grow, grow, grow and like basically burn itself out. On the flip side, if you can cut the protein down a little bit, which sometimes seems counterintuitive, but not cut it down, but not have excess. Um you see that actually the body goes, Oh, maybe we need to switch on some repair, maybe there's not that much protein, we need to recycle some of the protein that we've already got in our bodies and reuse some of those amino acids, and that's actually good when it comes to longevity. I was gonna ask how do you make sure you get protein in your diet, but it sounds like you're quite good at having that. So I do do sort of the protein smoothies with the frozen fruit from the freezer occasionally because protein is something I'm so aware of. So with the perimenopause, especially with exercising, I it's something I feel very conscious of. that I probably do have not enough protein. And so I do have protein powder. But you can lose loads of vegan ones of those. Yeah. So I think Sarah's doing really well getting some good protein through her diet. And obviously, she is relying a little bit on the protein shakes, but only where necessary. The majority of it is coming from a diet which is always the best source. Dr. Nicola's second opinion. Okay, so let's move on to some questions now. And as you can imagine, this has been a really popular topic and Catherine's got the first one. Here's one from Gemma who's 40. She says hi Dr. Nick, I'm trying to increase my protein but I'm confused about how much women my age actually need. Could you explain how protein intake affects muscle metabolism and aging? Hi Gemma, that's a great question. So thank you for getting in touch. So I'd say for a woman in their 40s like yourself, you need to be aiming for one gram per kilogram of body weight so that's one gram of protein and this is important for all of the things that you mentioned because as we age we naturally start to lose muscle mass unless we actively maintain it. And muscle is not just about strength. It plays a key role in metabolism, our blood sugar control, and general overall resilience. Protein works basically by providing the building blocks that your body needs to repair and maintain this muscle tissue. So without enough of it, even if you're exercising, your body's gonna struggle to maintain that muscle. So having this adequate protein alongside strength training is a really good place to start. Great, and next we've got a voice note. Hi Dr. Nick, this is Naomi and I'm 35. I follow a mostly plant-based diet and I worry I'm not getting enough protein to support my long-term health. How can women like me meet our protein needs without compromising longevity. Thank you. Oh, okay. Yeah, this is really good one. So I'd say that you absolutely can meet your protein needs on a plant-based diet. It just requires a little bit more intention and the key thing is variety. So different plant foods contain different types of amino acids. So combining sources like legumes, whole grains, tofu, nut nuts, and seeds, and having a range of different plants will help to ensure that you're getting the full profile of all the different amino acids. And from a longevity perspective, plant-based diets and plant-based protein can be very beneficial , especially for gut health and inflammation. So it's not either or you can support longevity and meet your protein needs. It just requires making sure that you've got a balanced and nutritious diet. This episode of What's My Age Again is sponsored by MedExpress, the UK online pharmacy. If you've been trying to manage your weight but feel like nothing's really working, MedExpress connects you with UK registered clinicians who assess your situation and create a treatment plan to support your weight management goals. With over 1.5 million customers, MedExpress is one of the country's leading online pharmacies, and they offer access to licensed, evidence-based treatment under medical supervision, and the whole process happens from your laptop or phone. There's no need for face-to-face appointments. They'll post your approved treatment to your door each month. You don't have to worry about getting locked into a contract or subscription either , you can cancel any time. Your relationship with your body can change over the years, but MedExpress is there to offer you discrete and convenient professional guidance supporting your weight management journey. Visit medExpress.co.uk to And the next question that we've got is on email. This is from Sharon, who's 63, and she says, I'm trying to stay strong and independent as I get older. I've heard protein becomes even more important after menopause, but I don't know why. Can you explain what changes in the body and how protein helps us age better . Okay, so Sharon, first of all, after menopause, estrogen levels decline, and this has a direct impact on both our muscle and our bone health. So estrogen helps maintain muscle mass and bone density. So when it drops, we're more prone to muscle loss and reduced strength. And at the same time, the body becomes less responsive to protein. So we need slightly more protein to achieve the same effect. So this is why having a bit more protein becomes particularly important in your sixties and beyond. So you wanna aim for about one point two grams of protein per kilogram of body we ight and also