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Strong Support

If older guys between 60 and 80 don’t use their legs for two weeks, they lose leg muscle and strength—but just two weeks of exercise plus drinking protein twice a day can bring it all back.

46
Pro
0
Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

46

Community contributions welcome

46

Skeletal muscle adaptation to immobilization and subsequent retraining in elderly men: No effect of anti-inflammatory medication.

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2016 Sep

The study found that older men lost leg muscle after two weeks of not using it, but got it all back after two weeks of exercise and drinking protein shakes, just like the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Skeletal muscle adaptation to immobilization and subsequent retraining in elderly men: No effect of anti-inflammatory medication.

Score: 46
DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2016.05.009

Similar Assertions

After older guys rest their legs for a bit, getting back to strength training with extra protein might help their leg muscles grow back stronger than before they took the break.

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Older guys getting back into exercise after leg inactivity don’t seem to gain or lose muscle strength or size from taking ibuprofen every day, even if they’re also drinking protein shakes.

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After drinking whey protein shakes every day for a week, older women’s muscles kept building up new protein even on days they didn’t exercise—collagen protein didn’t do this at all.

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Middle-aged men doing strength training don't change their protein intake whether they take collagen, whey, or a placebo.

63
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If older guys who are already active do full-body strength training three times a week for three months, they’ll get stronger legs and bigger leg muscles—even without adding extra protein to their diet.

47
0
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