An important aspect of feeling younger than our age is have an appropriate level of muscle mass. Proper muscle mass is important for many reasons.
Improper muscle mass can lead to imbalances in muscle tone; this can contribute to many problems, including an overly kyphotic posture or “hunchback”.
Muscle imbalance can contribute to joint degeneration.
Poor muscle tone can contribute to bone weakness, because there is a lack of constant stress on our bones. Muscles help keep the structural support strong.
Muscle is the main tissue that is responsible for burning fat in our body.
While eating nutritious and healthy foods are important, when you are maintaining or rebuilding your health, what you absorb is critical to maintaining a healthy body and reversing the frailty that often appears to be a part of aging. Enzymes are the specific components that help us absorb, and properly eliminate the foods that we eat. As we age, we lose our ability to maintain proper muscle mass for many reasons, which can eventually lead to frailty. Frailty occurs when a person has inadequate muscle mass for their age and body frame. Frailty occurs for many reasons, such as a lack of proper exercise, especially with weight bearing types of resistance exercises. A diet deficient in key nutrients, such as quality protein, minerals and vitamins can also contribute to frailty. One of the most overlooked reasons people become frail results from enzyme deficiency.
Addressing enzyme deficiency is a foundational step needed to correct the underlying factors of frailty that impact our muscle mass. As we age, we lose roughly 10% of our ability to produce digestive enzymes for each decade we live past puberty, unless we replace lost enzymes in our diet. For example, if puberty ends at age 20 for an individual, by the time a person reaches 60 years of age, they will have 40% less digestive capacity than a 20 year old. When we cannot completely digest and absorb what we eat, especially proteins, our muscles cannot properly grow and repair themselves.