KORN KURATED RESEARCH

Shifting Focus from Weight Loss to Building Muscle Mass Improves Mental Health

Research highlights a significant correlation between muscle development, mental well-being, and resilience. By shifting focus from a weight-centric paradigm to muscle-building through diet, exercise, and targeted supplementation, it's possible to maximize mental and physical health in our clients, regardless of age.

I came into this world at over 10 lbs. and nearly 2 feet long, and the doctor said I could get up and walk home. Thus began my life as an athlete. I gave up trying to lose weight a long time ago. 

There is so much pressure on us to lose weight, especially on women. Yet, research finds that the adverse health effects associated with weight are not due to the weight itself but the sedentism and poor-quality foods that are often, though not always, associated with it. 

I have been an athlete my whole life, first competing in tennis and then swimming and running. These days, I love tennis, weights, yin yoga, pilates, Bosu, and running stairs. As cerebral as I am, I am even more physical and delighted with what the body can do, even as it ages.

Build Muscle

When my clients ask about weight loss, which they have failed to maintain time and time again, I ask them to consider instead focusing on improving their conditioning, eating more protein, and converting fat to muscle. We increase energy and improve mood by doing activities that increase our muscle mass. Muscles weigh more than fat anyway, so forget the scale. Focus on understanding your body type and maximizing your engine. 

Because muscle is essential for good mood, combining therapy, protein-rich nutrition, and exercise becomes our core triad for mental health. If you have been working with a therapy client who has changed their nutrition (focus on their protein intake by body weight) and is still struggling, then incorporate resistance training to build muscle and strength.

Find Motivation

Sometimes, clients are willing to start an exercise training program before they change their diet. Whatever motivates and excites them first is what matters. After age 50, we don't synthesize protein or build muscle as efficiently, though we should still actively lift weights to build muscle. Research shows that we can continue to build muscle as long as we live.

Exercise is an Antidepressant

The research is unequivocal: exercise is an antidepressant, and there is a direct correlation between physical strength and emotional resilience. I almost fell off my chair when I learned that we lose about 10% of our muscle mass after ten days without exercise. The research suggests that the stronger our hand grip strength, the lower our levels of depression and anxiety.

Use a Tool to Calculate Your (Client’s) Need for Protein

Protein is the muscles' food.

Take your weight in kilos x 1.5 = # grams of protein each day.

If you are working out hard, you may want to bump protein up to 2 grams per kg/body weight.

Still want to improve your mood and muscle mass? Try supplementing with 5 grams of creatine powder daily.

I am currently reviewing the muscle/mood/protein research for the second edition of my book, Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health, which will be released next year.

So, based on the research here is my advice to you and your clients: start eating more protein and doing resistance training now, and by the time you open the 2nd edition of my book next year and read the scientific references, you can say: "Aww, I know THAT! I did my own personal research, and I proved it right!"

Tags: diet, protein, exercise, muscle mass, mental health

Interested in Learning More?

• Book(s): Nutrition Essentials For Mental Health
• Book(s): The Brainbow Blueprint

Referenced Research Publications

Science Advances
2024, March 06
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj6411

Childhood adverse life events and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function

Abstract

Social stress experienced in childhood is associated with adverse health later in life. Mitochondrial function has been implicated as a mechanism for how stressful life events “get under the skin” to influence physical well-being. Using data from the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging (n = 879, 59% women), linear models examined whether adverse childhood events (i.e., physical abuse) were associated with two measures of skeletal muscle mitochondrial energetics in older adults: (i) maximal adenosine triphosphate production (ATPmax) and (ii) maximal state 3 respiration (Max OXPHOS). Forty-five percent of the sample reported experiencing one or more adverse childhood events. After adjustment, each additional event was associated with −0.08 SD (95% confidence interval = −0.13, −0.02) lower ATPmax. No association was observed with Max OXPHOS. Adverse childhood events are associated with lower ATP production in later life. Findings indicate that mitochondrial function may be a mechanism for understanding how early social stress influences health in later life.

Reference

Duchowny, K. A., Marcinek, D. J., Mau, T., Diaz-Ramierz, L. G., Lui, L. Y., Toledo, F. G. S., Cawthon, P. M., Hepple, R. T., Kramer, P. A., Newman, A. B., Kritchevsky, S. B., Cummings, S. R., Coen, P. M., & Molina, A. J. A. (2024). Childhood adverse life events and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function. Science advances, 10 (10), eadj6411. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj6411

BMJ: British Medical Journal
2024, February 14
DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075847

Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract

Objective: To identify the optimal dose and modality of exercise for treating major depressive disorder, compared with psychotherapy, antidepressants, and control conditions.

Design: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Methods: Screening, data extraction, coding, and risk of bias assessment were performed independently and in duplicate. Bayesian arm based, multilevel network meta-analyses were performed for the primary analyses. Quality of the evidence for each arm was graded using the confidence in network meta-analysis (CINeMA) online tool.

Data sources: Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO databases.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Any randomised trial with exercise arms for participants meeting clinical cut-offs for major depression.

Results: 218 unique studies with a total of 495 arms and 14 170 participants were included. Compared with active controls (eg, usual care, placebo tablet), moderate reductions in depression were found for walking or jogging (n=1210, κ=51, Hedges' g -0.62, 95% credible interval -0.80 to -0.45), yoga (n=1047, κ=33, g -0.55, -0.73 to -0.36), strength training (n=643, κ=22, g -0.49, -0.69 to -0.29), mixed aerobic exercises (n=1286, κ=51, g -0.43, -0.61 to -0.24), and tai chi or qigong (n=343, κ=12, g -0.42, -0.65 to -0.21). The effects of exercise were proportional to the intensity prescribed. Strength training and yoga appeared to be the most acceptable modalities. Results appeared robust to publication bias, but only one study met the Cochrane criteria for low risk of bias. As a result, confidence in accordance with CINeMA was low for walking or jogging and very low for other treatments.

Conclusions: Exercise is an effective treatment for depression, with walking or jogging, yoga, and strength training more effective than other exercises, particularly when intense. Yoga and strength training were well tolerated compared with other treatments. Exercise appeared equally effective for people with and without comorbidities and with different baseline levels of depression. To mitigate expectancy effects, future studies could aim to blind participants and staff. These forms of exercise could be considered alongside psychotherapy and antidepressants as core treatments for depression.

Reference

Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., Del Pozo Cruz, B., van den Hoek, D., Smith, J. J., Mahoney, J., Spathis, J., Moresi, M., Pagano, R., Pagano, L., Vasconcellos, R., Arnott, H., Varley, B., Parker, P., Biddle, S., & Lonsdale, C. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 384, e075847. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-075847

Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
2023, March 13
DOI: 10.3390/foods12061218

Increasing Muscle Mass in Elders through Diet and Exercise: A Literature Review of Recent RCTs

Abstract

This study aimed to review the current evidence on the independent and combined effects of diet and exercise and their impact on skeletal muscle mass in the elderly population. Skeletal muscle makes up approximately 40% of total body weight and is essential for performing daily activities. The combination of exercise and diet is known to be a potent anabolic stimulus through stimulation of muscle protein synthesis from amino acids. Aging is strongly associated with a generalized deterioration of physiological function, including a progressive reduction in skeletal muscle mass and strength, which in turn leads to a gradual functional impairment and an increased rate of disability resulting in falls, frailty, or even death. The term sarcopenia, which is an age-related syndrome, is primarily used to describe the gradual and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass (mainly in type II muscle fibers) and function. Multimodal training is emerging as a popular training method that combines a wide range of physical dimensions. On the other hand, nutrition and especially protein intake provide amino acids, which are essential for muscle protein synthesis. According to ESPEN, protein intake in older people should be at least 1 g/kgbw/day. Essential amino acids, such as leucine, arginine, cysteine, and glutamine, are of particular importance for the regulation of muscle protein synthesis. For instance, a leucine intake of 3 g administered alongside each main meal has been suggested to prevent muscle loss in the elderly. In addition, studies have shown that vitamin D and other micronutrients can have a protective role and may modulate muscle growth; nevertheless, further research is needed to validate these claims. Resistance-based exercise combined with a higher intake of dietary protein, amino acids, and/or vitamin D are currently recognized as the most effective interventions to promote skeletal muscle growth. However, the results are quite controversial and contradictory, which could be explained by the high heterogeneity among studies. It is therefore necessary to further assess the impact of each individual exercise and nutritional approach, particularly protein and amino acids, on human muscle turnover so that more efficient strategies can be implemented for the augmentation of muscle mass in the elderly.

Reference

Voulgaridou, G., Papadopoulou, S. D., Spanoudaki, M., Kondyli, F. S., Alexandropoulou, I., Michailidou, S., Zarogoulidis, P., Matthaios, D., Giannakidis, D., Romanidou, M., & Papadopoulou, S. K. (2023). Increasing Muscle Mass in Elders through Diet and Exercise: A Literature Review of Recent RCTs. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 12(6), 1218. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061218

Biomolecules
2019, August 23
DOI: 10.3390/biom9090406

Creatine for the Treatment of Depression

Abstract

Depressed mood, which can occur in the context of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and other conditions, represents a serious threat to public health and wellness. Conventional treatments are not effective for a significant proportion of patients and interventions that are often beneficial for treatment-refractory depression are not widely available. There is, therefore, an immense need to identify novel antidepressant strategies, particularly strategies that target physiological pathways that are distinct from those addressed by conventional treatments. There is growing evidence from human neuroimaging, genetics, epidemiology, and animal studies that disruptions in brain energy production, storage, and utilization are implicated in the development and maintenance of depression. Creatine, a widely available nutritional supplement, has the potential to improve these disruptions in some patients, and early clinical trials indicate that it may have efficacy as an antidepressant agent.

Reference

Kious, B. M., Kondo, D. G., & Renshaw, P. F. (2019). Creatine for the Treatment of Depression. Biomolecules, 9(9), 406. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom9090406