How Weider Muscle Health Works

Weider Muscle Health is a between-meals, targeted nutritional supplement designed to minimize muscle protein degradation that occurs when liver glycogen is depleted as nutrient influx from the previous meal is exhausted. While generally not a problem in young people, as we age, the disparity between calories “in” and calories “out” becomes greater, and as a result, muscle tissue is called upon much more frequently to supply energy and nutrients to support whole-body metabolism. This is particularly a problem in men and women of advancing years. This disparity between calorie intake and expenditure is slow and insidious.

Increasingly, the muscle loss (strength and mass) that once was believed to be a natural/normal aspect of aging is now considered to be a conflation of many untoward processes, all of which may contribute to loss of muscle mass and strength as we age.

Normal metabolism is a homeostatic balance of catabolic and anabolic processes; however, as we age there is an almost implacable imbalance toward catabolism...an imbalance that slowly decreases muscle mass and strength year after year. The amount of muscle mass an individual carries is now associated with quality of life, long-term survival, and cognition. As muscle mass and strength decline, so does our ability to withstand illness and trauma.

One characteristic of muscle loss due to aging is an increase in body fat. This occurs for several reasons, one of which is because muscle protein is used more often for energy in aging individuals than body fat. Protecting muscle protein between meals forces the body to increase fat metabolism, helping to maintain lean muscle mass while decreasing fat stores.3 Many of the processes implicated in age-related muscle loss are complex and ill-defined and therefore difficult to control or avoid.4 However, two contributing factors more easily controlled and modified are: 1) the amount and timing of stabilizing energy nutrients (including daily protein intake), and 2) regular exercise, including both aerobic and resistance exercise.

One critical nutritional strategy is to use specialized nutrients to bridge the time the body exhausts nutrient influx from the previous meal to the next meal. The nutrients in Weider Muscle Health support an increase in skeletal muscle energy charge, which mitigates catabolic muscle metabolism that may occur in aging individuals between meals, particularly individuals with large disparities between calorie intake and expenditure.

Weider Muscle Health’s targeted formula contains B-vitamins, Vitamin D, Leucine, Arginine, Medium Chain Triglycerides, and a 95% proanthocyanidins pine bark extract. These nutrients work in concert to provide short chain fatty acids and ketoacids that quickly stabilize muscle energy charge, mitigating catabolic muscle metabolism.

Leucine is a special amino acid that increases energy charge and skeletal muscle protein synthesis. Leucine supplementation is one of the quickest ways to stabilize the energy charge of skeletal muscle when glucose levels are insufficient.5 Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for muscle myopathy; therefore, resolving deficiency is important for muscle health and well-being.*6 Arginine and proanthocyanidins work in concert, supporting vascular health and healthy blood flow.7 MCTs (medium chained triglycerides) are converted in the liver to hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate, which provide muscle extra energy. These two products of fat metabolism increase energy charge while decreasing oxygen consumption due to their unique effects on TCA redox coupling. Serum glucogenic amino acids are spared and fat metabolism is increased as muscle energy charge is stabilized.

Weider Muscle Health helps protect muscle protein from catabolic metabolism between meals by supplying critical energy components that help stabilize muscle metabolism during the periods between meals when muscle typically supplies glucogenic amino acids to support energy metabolism. Since serum glucogenic amino acids are spared, fat metabolism is increased to off-set energy deficits. For best results, Weider Muscle Health should be taken between meals and used in conjunction with a protein intake of about 30 grams of protein per main meal (0.5-0.75 g/lb bodyweight/day) as well as exercising 30 to 40 minutes, 3-4 times per week.

*Although two servings of Weider Muscle Health contain 100% of the recommended daily intake for Vitamin D, Weider Muscle Health is not an appropriate supplement to treat acute Vitamin D deficiency.

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