Understanding Muscle Atrophy: Use It or Lose It

Muscle atrophy is your body’s way of adapting to the lower demands placed on your muscles. When your muscles are used less, they get weaker, shrink, and become less efficient. It is a natural biological process, but it can happen in a shorter period of time than most people think, and it can take effort to reverse it.

Muscle Atrophy

Muscle atrophy is the process of losing muscle mass, strength, and function. It happens when your body loses the balance between the amount of muscle protein used to build your muscles, called muscle protein synthesis, and the amount of muscle protein used to lose your muscles, called muscle protein breakdown.

There are two types of muscle atrophy, namely:

• Disuse atrophy – This type of atrophy happens due to inactivity, bed rest, or a sedentary lifestyle.
• Neurogenic atrophy – This type of atrophy happens due to nerve damage or a neurological condition.

At a biological level, your body stops making new muscle tissue, which causes your muscles to lose their mass, making them shrink.

How quickly does it happen?

Muscle atrophy surprisingly happens within a short period of time. It can happen within 1-2 weeks of complete rest or inactivity.

Muscle Wasting

Muscle wasting is similar to atrophy but is usually linked with more severe and systemic disease. The symptoms of muscle wasting are:

• Reduced muscle mass
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Reduced endurance
• Difficulty in performing daily activities

In severe cases, it may even affect the metabolic rate and posture and even overall health because the muscles are responsible for burning calories and regulating blood glucose levels.

Muscle Atrophy Causes

The reasons that may cause atrophy are:

1. Inactivity

• Lack of exercise
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Periods of inactivity after surgery or injury

2. Ageing or Sarcopenia

• The process of losing muscle mass starts at the age of 30
• The process starts to accelerate after the age of 60 if corrective measures are not taken

3. Nutritional Deficiencies

• Lack of protein
• Restrictive diets

4. Diseases and Injuries

• Prolonged immobilization
• Diseases and injury

5. Hormonal Changes

• Reduced levels of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone

Diseases That Cause Muscle Atrophy

There are also medical conditions that can increase muscle atrophy:

• Muscular dystrophy – these are genetic disorders that cause degeneration in muscles over time
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – nerve degeneration in muscles
• Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects nerve signals to muscles
• Cancer (cachexia) – severe muscle atrophy
• Chronic kidney and heart disease – affects metabolic and physical performance capacity

Prevention & Recovery: How to Protect Your Muscles

However, it’s good news for you that muscle atrophy is preventable and reversible up to a point.

1. Resistance Training (Non-Negotiable)

• Resistance training 2-4 times a week
• Resistance training is crucial in maintaining and developing muscles
• Even without equipment, body weight training is effective (squats, lunges, planks, etc.)

2. Prioritize Protein

• 1.2-1.6 g/kg/d protein intake daily
• Include protein sources like lentils, chickpeas, tofu, eggs, chicken, and plant protein powder (since you don’t take cow milk)

3. Stay Active Daily (NEAT)

• Yoga and other physical activities (you already enjoy yoga!)
• Always avoid prolonged inactivity

4. Recovery & Sleep

• Muscles need time to heal and repair
• 7-8 hours of sleep daily

Read Also: Magnesium: The Unsung Hero of Sleep and Muscle Recovery

Takeaway

Muscle atrophy is a natural process that’s also preventable, and the best way to prevent it is by moving, training, and eating right. But here’s the best part: muscle memory is real. When you’re training, your muscles grow more nuclei in their cells. And even when you’re not training, and you lose muscle mass, those nuclei still stick around. And when you go back to training, your muscles can recover more quickly than when you first started. So, taking a break is not the same as losing all your gains, and it’s not the wins that matter, but the wins over time. And if you have lost muscle mass, muscle memory is there to save the day. For those who are serious about muscle gains, you can consider adding BCAA and protein powder to your fitness regimen.