High-quality protein: Does it make you stronger or help you live longer?

How are high-quality complete proteins related to longevity?

On a recent episode of a podcast I love, a respected scientist suggested that people should be trying to consume more protein to activate “mTOR” for longevity.

Extensive research on mTOR and longevity would say this is NOT entirely correct.?

What is mTOR?

Also known as mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin, mTOR is THE critical link between the availability of nutrients in the environment and most anabolic and catabolic processes.

Plain English: It regulates growth and metabolism, playing a crucial role in muscle building and repair.

How does it regulate growth? Via different environmental cues, most notably amino acid availability (i.e., protein).?

In particular, research suggests that 3 of the essential amino acids, leucine, valine, and arginine, also known as BCAA’s, seem to have an outsized effect on mTOR activation.

This is why it is quite common to see people supplementing BCAA’s, especially Leucine, for muscle growth.

Why does this matter for longevity??

mTOR inhibition is one of the most researched longevity pathways.

This is because constant activation of mTOR promotes cell growth and proliferation, which when left unchecked, can lead to cellular damage that contributes to aging and diseases of uncontrolled cellular growth.

To put it simply, while mTOR activation is beneficial in certain contexts (like building muscle), its chronic activation is linked to aging and age-related diseases.?

Of course, having healthy and appropriate muscle mass is also critical to longevity: it reduces risk of sarcopenia, improves insulin sensitivity via increasing glucose uptake from the blood (i.e., helps lower blood sugar), and increases overall metabolic health.

Therefore, the TOTAL effect of mTOR activation on lifespan and health span is nuanced and hard to ascertain (at least since the last time I checked the literature).

This is also the case regarding the TOTAL effects of nutrients that ACTIVATE mTOR (i.e., "high-quality" complete proteins).

What is true is that inhibition of mTOR (specifically, mTORC1 inhibition with rapamycin) is currently the only known pharmacological treatment that increases lifespan in ALL model organisms studied.

In sum, in science, it is rarely ever as simple as X leads to Y.?

Pretending it is that simple does a disservice to the scientific community.

Let’s keep the dialogue about wellness open, nuanced, humble, and adaptable.

As a scientist and former academic, I would love to see more conversations that reflect the diversity of thought within the well-being community, helping us all make more informed decisions about our health.

P.S.

I am not vegan (although I lean plant-based) and I am a protein advocate. In other words, I am NOT trying to sway you to a particular dietary type.

Proof: I founded a company (Nourish) with the core purpose of providing people with a convenient clean source of protein.

However, I believe people should have nuanced, complete information on the effect of nutrients on their health when deciding how much, and what type, of nutrients to consume for their specific health goals??

References

Babygirija, R., & Lamming, D. W. (2021). The regulation of healthspan and lifespan by dietary amino acids. Translational medicine of aging, 5, 17-30.

Conn, C. S., & Qian, S. B. (2011). mTOR signaling in protein homeostasis: less is more?. Cell cycle, 10(12), 1940-1947.

Dodd, K. M., & Tee, A. R. (2012). Leucine and mTORC1: a complex relationship. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Li, F., Yin, Y., Tan, B., Kong, X., & Wu, G. (2011). Leucine nutrition in animals and humans: mTOR signaling and beyond. Amino Acids, 41, 1185-1193.

Kamei, Y., Hatazawa, Y., Uchitomi, R., Yoshimura, R., & Miura, S. (2020). Regulation of skeletal muscle function by amino acids. Nutrients, 12(1), 261.

Kitada, M., Ogura, Y., Monno, I., & Koya, D. (2019). The impact of dietary protein intake on longevity and metabolic health. EBioMedicine, 43, 632-640.

Mannick, J. B., & Lamming, D. W. (2023). Targeting the biology of aging with mTOR inhibitors. Nature Aging, 3(6), 642-660.Phillips, E. J., & Simons, M. J. (2023). Rapamycin not dietary restriction improves resilience against pathogens: A meta-analysis. GeroScience, 45(2), 1263-1270.

Merz, K. E., & Thurmond, D. C. (2011). Role of skeletal muscle in insulin resistance and glucose uptake. Comprehensive Physiology, 10(3), 785-809.

Papadopoli, D., Boulay, K., Kazak, L., Pollak, M., Mallette, F. A., Topisirovic, I., & Hulea, L. (2019). mTOR as a central regulator of lifespan and aging. F1000Research, 8.

Pignatti, C., D’Adamo, S., Stefanelli, C., Flamigni, F., & Cetrullo, S. (2020). Nutrients and pathways that regulate health span and life span. Geriatrics, 5(4), 95.

Rogeri, P. S., Zanella Jr, R., Martins, G. L., Garcia, M. D., Leite, G., Lugaresi, R., ... & Lancha Jr, A. H. (2021). Strategies to prevent sarcopenia in the aging process: role of protein intake and exercise. Nutrients, 14(1), 52.

Sabatini, D. M. (2017). Twenty-five years of mTOR: Uncovering the link from nutrients to growth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(45), 11818-11825.

Stipanuk, M. H. (2007). Leucine and protein synthesis: mTOR and beyond. Nutrition reviews, 65(3), 122-129.

Weichhart, T. (2018). mTOR as regulator of lifespan, aging, and cellular senescence: a mini-review. Gerontology, 64(2), 127-134.