Here in the United States, more than two-thirds of all adults are overweight or obese. And despite increasing awareness of the health risks associated with weight gain, the obesity epidemic continues to grow. In the US alone, an estimated 45 million people go on a diet each year, and we spend an average of $33 billion annually on weight loss products. Estimates of the cost of treating adult obesity here in the US range from 147 to 210 billion dollars each year. And this epidemic isn’t just affecting adults, approximately 20% of children and teenagers are now classified as obese, and that percentage is climbing. And we know that obesity increases our risk for other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancers.
So why, with all of our medical advancements and scientific understanding, are we not able to stop – or even slow – the prevalence of obesity? What if obesity itself isn’t the actual problem in and of itself, but rather the symptom of a much greater problem? What if the problem isn’t so much that we’re over fat, but that we’re under muscled? What if we change our focus from obesity to skeletal muscle health – that is to muscle-centric medicine?
My guest today is Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Dr. Lyon helps motivate people of any age to reach their ideal weight and fullest health potential with the principles of muscle-centric medicine. She received her doctorate in osteopathic medicine and did her fellowship in geriatrics where she studied obesity medicine and nutritional science. Dr. Lyon has been published in Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and Harper’s Bazar just to mention a few. In today’s show Dr. Lyon breaks down the critical role of nutrition and why muscle is the organ of longevity. In this episode she shares with us exactly how much protein aging people need (and why), as well as the best sources of protein for us athletes of aging. And the answer may surprise you. This was a fantastic episode, and I personally took a ton of information away from this conversation.
You can connect with Dr Lyon in the following ways:
Instagram – @drgabrielelyon
Dr. Lyon’s Website
Dr. Lyon’s YouTube Channel
Click HERE for transcript.
Doc Lyons is always interesting. . . Another pod cast suggested that muscle growth happens via lamination. What is the intermediate that supports this growth?
Ted – I’m not familiar with the term lamination used with muscle growth, but I’d love to learn more. Can you let me know what podcast you heard that on so I can dig deeper?