Beer bellies, be damned. A new Japanese study found that an ingredient in beer contains compounds that can keep your muscles strong. To the dismay of many, though, the secret ingredient has nothing to do with alcohol—it’s the hops, the ingredient in beer that gives the brew its flavor, aroma, and taste, from dry and bitter to spicy, fruity flower notes, says Fergal Murray, Guinness master brewer.
Researchers at the University of Tokushima fed mice a flavonoid (chemical compound) found in hops. The mice were kept sedentary, which meant that they lost muscle mass. But the critters that ate the compound lost 10% less muscle mass than the rodents that didn’t.
“Normally, muscles will deteriorate when they aren’t being strained in a sedentary environment,” says Beth McDonald, registered dietician at the Beth Israel Medical Center’s Center for Health and Healing, and master of science in applied physiology in nutrition and integrated sports nutrition. Essentially: Use it, or lose it. “But this study shows that the flavonoid can help to reduce this normal atrophy.”
But that doesn’t mean that you should start knocking back brewskies during your Real Housewives of New Jersey marathons. The study authors admit that a human would have to drink at least 80 liters—over 150 pints—of beer per day to ingest the necessary amount of flavonoids to see the same results. For most of us, that’s not exactly an option.
The good news is that there are legit ways to keep your muscles strong, and they don’t involve guzzling booze. Instead? Stay fit with these three simple tips:
1. Move it! “The best way to maintain muscle mass is through regular exercise, including two to three days of resistance training a week,” says McDonald. Not sure where to begin? Start with one of the best strength training exercises for women.
2. Load up on protein. “Your muscles will deteriorate if you don’t have ample protein,” says McDonald, which is why eating an adequate and varied diet including both animal and plant protein is vital—the key being varied. That means pile your plate with beans, tofu, edamame, low-fat dairy, fish, chicken, lean red meat, and eggs. (Any of these satisfying protein-packed recipes will do.) “Your body needs different amino acids, the building blocks of bones and tissues, to fuel muscle growth,” says McDonald. So how much strength-pumping protein do you need? Do the math: About half a gram of protein per pound of body weight per day should do the trick. For a 130-pound woman, that’s 65 grams of protein per day. For some perspective, a large egg has 6 grams, a 3.5 oz piece of chicken has 30 grams, and half a cup of tofu has 20 grams.
3. And don’t skimp on… those colorful fruits and veggies! We know—you’ve heard it before. But the phytonutrients and antioxidants found on a colorful plate really do help to prevent muscle atrophy—even if they don’t deliver as good a buzz as beer.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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