Andrew Huberman· PhD
if we were to just back away from everything we've talked about what are the top level benefits of having healthy muscle everything okay muscle muscle is the organ of longevity and when we think about lifespan we think about health span and then we finally think about muscle span I would argue that that is right after lifespan the benefits of healthy muscle cannot be denied this is better metabolic Health better blood pressure better survivability better strength better Mobility better body armor should someone fall should someone get sick your survivability will be related to the health of skeletal muscle and especially as we think about aging if we want to have good skin or we think about wanting to have a a good-look body even though I can appreciate it's only a small amount aesthetic but leveraging the aesthetic to have healthy brain function there's this idea that Alzheimers or certain types of dementia are type three diabetes of the brain skeletal muscle is the only organ system we have voluntary control over it is the only endocrine organ system we have voluntary control over it which means we have a responsibility to leverage it we've talked about these in a lot of detail today meaning you've Ed ated us about these in detail today and thank you but perhaps you could summarize what you view as the top nutrition-based tools for improving muscle Health number one dietary protein and that would be in terms of a protein hierarchy roughly one gram per pound ideal body weight an individual could certainly go to7 grams per pound ideal body weight the higher the protein the less it matters the quality whether it is a high quality protein or a lower quality protein the total protein amount matters that is at the base of the pyramid the next would be the I would say the quality understanding the quality of the protein so that you know exactly how much and then certainly the distribution of how you are ingesting this protein the dietary protein habits of someone who is eating a more protein forward diet distribution will matter less the higher it is but there is certainly some great importance depending on if you are older who you know challenging for any kind of Health and Wellness challenges this is what I would say and I realize it will vary depending on activity but assuming that somebody gets the one gram of quality protein per pound of ideal body weight how should they make up the rest of their caloric needs the next I would say would be your choice you choose carbohydrates are that there's evidence that carbohydrates are helpful from a fiber perspective phytonutrients other vitamins and minerals I certainly would go there that would be my preference the amount of activity that you do certainly could use carbohydrates and then fat it is very easy to get essential fatty acids your diet doesn't have to be too high in fat to get that but at the end of the day prioritize dietary protein