Tips from Harvard’s David Sinclair: How to Eat and Build Muscle for Longevity

Highlights

• Dr. Sinclair says eating protein from plants gives the optimal ratio of protein building blocks (amino acids) for longevity.
• As for exercise, Dr. Sinclair says that a little goes a long way and recommends running a few miles, doing yoga, and/or lifting weights every other day.
• Exercising the back, hip, and upper thighs, he says, is crucial since injuries to these regions in older years can lead to frailty and exercising helps maintain hormone levels.

Dr. David Sinclair is a genetics professor at Harvard University and the author of the book Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have to. In a YouTube video where he is accompanied by celebrity chef Serena Poon, he advises on eating plant-based proteins and what exercises to do for muscle building and maximizing lifespan.

Eating Plant-Based Protein Sources Such as Legumes

The biggest goal related to dietary protein intake is getting the amino acids you need for proper muscle building and repair as well as cellular function. By eating a plant-based diet and avoiding meats, we do not lose the ability to get protein for muscle building, according to Dr. Sinclair. Rather, he says that we can get the proteins we need from plants at a beneficial ratio of amino acids for longevity.

What’s more, according to Dr. Sinclair, eating meat-based proteins provides too many branched-chain amino acids — amino acids that activate a protein complex called mTOR. Along those lines, mTOR activation has been linked to cancer. Furthermore, some individuals take the mTOR suppressor rapamycin to lower inflammation in hopes of delaying aging. Thus, by activating mTOR, branched-chain amino acids have the opposite effects on mTOR compared to rapamycin.

According to celebrity chef Serena Poon, who co-founded a company called Fully Aligned with Dr. Sinclair, plant protein sources can include legumes like chickpeas and lentils. Plant fiber is also an important ingredient in these plant-based foods that lowers the net carbohydrates you get from them.

Also, Serena Poon advises not to overcook your plant-based protein food sources as this can degrade the food’s protein content. Accordingly, she advises steaming plant-based protein sources as this has less of an impact on the amount of their protein content.

“You don’t have to be 100% vegan to get the benefits,” says Dr. Sinclair. “You try to shift things as best you can…I do my best to focus on the foods that are healthy.”

Exercising the Back, Hips, and Thighs Can Help Aged People Avoid Falls

As for exercise, Dr. Sinclair says that generally, a little goes a long way. Exercises can include running a few miles, yoga, walking up stairs, sit-ups, and/or lifting weights at the gym. In the past, Dr. Sinclair says that he used to do intense exercises at least once a week for two hours at the gym. Now, he says that he tries to exercise every other day, mixing it up with upper-body and lower-body exercises.

He also tells clients not to forget their back, hips, and upper thighs. This is because, as we get older, particularly after the age of 40, we lose 1% to 2% of muscle mass a year, according to Dr. Sinclair. This means we can lose muscle mass in areas that control the stability of our hips. Dr. Sinclair says that losing muscle in the hips and lower body is dangerous, because this can often trigger falls that can break the thigh (femurs) or hip bones. Dr. Sinclair also says that it is common for people not to recover from these injuries and that they can ultimately become frailer as a result.

“You’ve got to move,” says Dr. Sinclair. “If you want to live a long time, you’ve got to move.”

Not only that, but Dr. Sinclair says that working out muscles, especially in the legs, can help with hormone levels. He adds that strained leg and back muscles from exercising signal to the gonads and adrenal system to produce hormones like testosterone to maintain hormone levels as we get older. Along those lines, Dr. Sinclair thinks that exercise is perhaps the best way to maintain hormone levels as we age.

Dr. Sinclair’s Advice May Improve Muscle Strength, Maintain Hormone Levels, and Promote Longevity

According to Dr. Sinclair, we should focus on eating plant-based proteins and exercise every other day to maximize longevity. This will also help us to avoid losing muscle mass as we age.

One important thing that Serena Poon adds is that if you are eating mostly plant-based foods, make sure you have enough vitamin B₁₂. If you stop eating meat-based protein, you may have lower B₁₂ vitamin levels, triggering a deficiency. You can always have blood tests done and supplement with B₁₂ vitamins to overcome a potential deficiency.

Following Dr. Sinclair’s advice related to eating plant-based proteins and focusing on building back, thigh, and hip muscles may help maximize your lifespan. Put simply, Dr. Sinclair advises to “keep moving,” which may be his most important point for promoting longevity.