05/26/2026
Important:)
This is a picture of what muscle looks like at 25 vs. 55
Left is healthy dense muscle.
Right is unhealthy muscle with fat marbled like a ribeye.
It's called myosteatosis, and for many people, it is already happening.
One study tracked adults aged 74 and older and found that muscle fat increased by 48.5% in men and 29% in women.
As you get older, fat starts to infiltrate the muscle itself.
This can lead to weaker muscles that look the same on the outside, worse insulin sensitivity, a higher risk of falls and fractures, and a faster decline in your 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Your home scale won't catch this. By the time someone feels it, they have already lost years of function.
The good news is that it is reversible.
The top four things that move the needle are:
1. Getting your body metabolically healthy, stabilizing blood sugar and teaching your body to once again burn fat for fuel
2. Lifting heavy (strength training) three times per week so the muscle stays dense
3. Eating 0.8 to 1 g of protein per pound of body weight (but watching the fat on your protein so it’s not just as many grams of fat as protein or more)
4. Fixing your sleep patterns
As we age, and our body has endured many sleepless nights, it’s crucial to give our body the rest it needs to heal + recover. We need to prioritize a set sleep window, avoid eating 2+ hours before bedtime, and taking at least 30 minutes off of screens before going to sleep.
You can't out supplement this.
The only things that reverse it are strength training, burning off excess fat in the body, and avoiding consuming excess macros (fat + carbs mainly) that cause more fat storage.
