The Top 7 Muscle Defense Supplements to Help You Build and Maintain Muscle Mass

There are thousands of Brits over 100, so why did the media single out Buster for special treatment? It’s because, at the age of 103, he was not only still working in a garage, but his job was washing cars!

How could a centenarian have the muscular strength or stamina to perform such a task?

No doubt a combination of genetics, responsive hormones, and good luck all played their part, but today, aging this well is more than a game of chance. There’s plenty you can do in the way of diet, nutritional supplements, and exercise to help keep your muscles strong well into your senior years. In this article, we'll tackle the seven top supplements to help you build and maintain muscle as you age.

Key Takeaways

• Muscle mass peaks in our thirties and then declines and may accelerate, giving rise to sarcopenia, a condition linked with multiple health problems.
• It's essential to develop a plan of action to stabilize and even reverse muscle loss. It starts with eating healthy foods and adopting a strength training exercise program.
• Nutritional supplements are also key, with seven, in particular, supporting muscle health, muscle maintenance, and muscle growth.

Understanding Muscle Loss as You Age

Dr. Suzette Pereira, a researcher specializing in muscle health informs us that, "Muscle health can often predict how healthy we will be as we age and how long we will be active and independent.”¹

That’s because muscles are more important than people think. They don’t just provide us with strength, healthy muscles are a key to healthy aging and are essential for organ function, skin health, immunity and metabolism. Yet the aging process makes it difficult to maintain strong muscles without some effort.

Muscle Loss is Normal

Muscle mass peaks at around the age of thirty after which it’s downhill all the way. We lose three to eight percent over the next few decades and this muscle loss speeds up after the age of sixty. Over a lifetime almost a third of a person's muscle mass can be lost, all because of aging. ²

But if this muscle loss accelerates, exceeding what would be expected from normal aging, it’s termed sarcopenia, a condition that’s a major cause of disability in older folk as it increases the risks of falls and vulnerability to injury. Even carrying out basic tasks of daily living such as getting out of a chair or filling a kettle to make a hot drink can be a struggle.

But it gets even worse...

Increased Fat Stores Cause Inflammation

As muscle mass heads south, fat mass increases. This combination leads to higher levels of inflammation in the body contributing to many other health problems. Bone density decreases, joint stiffness increases, and insulin metabolism becomes impaired. These changes increase the risk of osteoporosis, Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Muscle loss is even linked to poorer cognitive function.

Preventing Muscle Loss

There is good news, however. This age-related muscle loss can be prevented and even treated with the right lifestyle interventions.

As Dr. Thomas W. Storer, Director of The Exercise Physiology and Physical Function Lab at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, puts it: "It takes work, dedication, and a plan, but it is never too late to rebuild muscle and maintain it."³

The right lifestyle interventions begin with your nutritional supplements. What can help you build and maintain your muscle mass? There are seven supplements to pay attention to...

Top 7 Muscle Defense Supplements

#1: Whey Protein

People tend to eat less as they get older, and this progressive reduction in food intake can lead to energy-protein malnutrition. So, make sure your protein intake is adequate.

You can achieve this by consuming about three ounces of protein at each of your three main meals. Spreading it out this way maximizes the conversion of amino acids into muscle protein.

If high amounts of protein foods don’t appeal, protein powders are available. Whey protein contains the vital amino acids you need, has long been praised by bodybuilders and offers broader health benefits beyond athletic performance for every adult including seniors.

#2: Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 is best known for its role in bone health but it has an important role in muscle health too. We’ve already touched on the ability of vitamin D3 to boost testosterone, but its muscle benefits go wider than this.

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) helps maintain muscle strength and endurance, especially as you age because it plays a crucial role in allowing muscle cells to communicate via cellular signaling-- signals that coordinate muscle cells' efforts at staying stronger and keeping muscles from shrinking. This nutrient also helps to keep the muscle cells from weakening due to insulin resistance. Plus, studies indicate that along with helping muscle fibers maintain their size and strength, vitamin D3 can also reduce muscle pain often associated with aging.

Australian scientists summed it up succinctly: “Vitamin D inadequacy or deficiency is associated with muscle fiber atrophy, increased risk of chronic musculoskeletal pain, sarcopenia and associated falls.”¹¹

Vitamin D3 doesn’t work in isolation, however. It has one helper that’s especially important.

#3: Magnesium

“Without magnesium, Vitamin D is not really useful or safe." So says Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, a professor of pathology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

It’s not useful because without sufficient magnesium it won’t be converted into its active form in the body. It’s not safe because with a shortfall of magnesium, calcium and phosphate levels could rise and clog the arteries. This is important to note because as much as half of the U.S. population doesn’t meet the recommended daily intake for magnesium.

Don’t get the impression this mineral is just a bit player though. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function and supports the structural development of bone. Numerous studies show magnesium supplementation can improve muscle function.¹²

Both vitamin D and magnesium work closely with…

#4: Calcium

Well known as vital to the health of bones and teeth, it also plays its part in the function and structure of skeletal muscles, transmitting nerve impulses to muscle fibers, allowing muscles to contract and relax.

In one study containing almost 400,000 participants aged 38 to 73, those with the highest calcium intake had the lowest odds of sarcopenia. In another study of 3,342 participants over the age of 50 who were followed for ten years, those with the lowest levels of blood calcium had significantly more muscle loss.¹³

#5: HMB

Strange as it may seem, it’s possible to increase lean body mass, muscle strength and physical function by simply taking a nutritional supplement. That’s right, no exercise required. While we certainly don’t recommend giving exercise the boot, the supplement HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate), which is derived from the essential amino acid leucine, contains anabolic enhancing compounds and has been shown on its own to help preserve and even build muscle mass.

HMB both reduces muscle breakdown and increases muscle tissue growth all at the same time.

This may sound too good to be true but two systematic reviews and meta-analyses reported “increased muscle strength in adult patients and preservation of muscle strength and function in older adults with frailty and sarcopenia.”¹⁴

Another review of clinical trials concluded that “HMB supplementation seems to be a feasible alternative for the maintenance of muscle mass in the population over 65 years, especially in bedridden or sedentary elderly, aiding in the reduction of muscle catabolism (breakdown).”¹⁵

Green Valley Naturals specially formulated a patented, highly absorbable form of HMB into a proprietary blend of bone and muscle nutrition called Bone & Muscle Defense, to provide comprehensive nutritional support to aging bones and muscles.

#6: Creatine

Creatine is made in the body but is also found in foods such as red meat and fish, as well as dietary supplements. Unlike HMB, resistance training is needed to see gains in body mass and strength from creatine supplements.

Creatine plays a major role in the storage and release of adenosine triphosphate (cellular energy) and is also involved in the maintenance of bone mineral density. But it really comes into its own when people are looking to optimize their physical performance.

Multiple studies show it increases muscle mass, promotes muscle recovery after training, and reduces age-related muscle loss.¹⁶

#7: Vitamin K2

While vitamin K is best known for its role in blood clotting, in the last few years its emerged as being having a role in regulating energy metabolism within skeletal muscle. Recent studies reveal people with high blood levels of vitamin K enjoy “increased muscle strength, increased muscle mass, and superior physical performance.”¹⁷ The researchers added that out of the three forms of vitamin K, vitamin K2 is the best option since “ existing evidence underscores the significant role of vitamin K2 in maintaining muscular homeostasis.”

While these supplements are important for building and maintaining muscle mass, your overall treatment plan should also include addressing hormone imbalance and undertaking the right muscle-building physical activity.

Correcting Hormone Imbalance

The most potent hormone for building muscles is the androgen/sex hormone testosterone, but this gradually declines as we age. In fact, about 60% of men over the age of 65 have levels that have sunk below those enjoyed in their youth, a process called the andropause. Since testosterone helps build muscle mass and strength, putting back the missing hormone could be one answer to muscle loss.

While this can help improve muscle mass, muscle strength, and bone density, it comes with potentially serious side effects. These include blood thickening - which increases the risk of blood clotting, heart attack and stroke – and a rising prostate specific antigen (PSA), which is not good news if you want to avoid prostate cancer.

Is there a safe, natural way to boost testosterone? Absolutely. You see, levels appear to decline with aging, but they really decline with poor health. As David Handelsman, MD, PhD, professor and Director of the ANZAC Research Institute at the University of Sydney, explained, “Age alone does not make you testosterone deficient.” It’s more likely to be due to disorders of aging such as obesity and heart disease, he says.

Supplements to Balance Hormones

Experts believe a healthy, balanced lifestyle sustains testosterone levels. This includes regular exercise, a healthy diet containing plenty of fruits and vegetables, enough quality sleep (poor sleep interferes with normal testosterone production) and a vitamin D (cholecalciferol) supplement. ⁴ One study found supplementing with 3,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily increased testosterone levels by around 25%.

Many plants also contain aromatase inhibitors which block the conversion of testosterone to estrogen in the body. ⁵ These include:

• Kale
• Collards
• Parsley
• Celery
• Celeriac
• Olive oil
• Red wine
• Tea
• Coffee
• Cocoa

Grape seed extract taken as a supplement can also help block aromatase, and the mineral boron was shown to directly increase testosterone concentrations in post-menopausal women and healthy men. The best food sources of boron are:

• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Nuts (especially peanuts)
• Grapes
• Apples
• Peaches
• Prune juice

So, there’s no need to take a risk on testosterone replacement therapy when there are simple, natural solutions like these available.

Increasing Muscle-Building Physical Activity

Inactive people are at the greatest risk when it comes to loss of muscle mass, which goes hand in hand with the loss of bone mass and an increase in fat mass. And while older people are less inclined to take up bodybuilding or weightlifting, another type of exercise has been shown to build muscle and boost strength in older and even physically frail adults. It’s called progressive resistance training (PRT).

Resistance Training Works Wonders for Muscle Defense

In PRT muscles are exercised against some type of resistance that’s progressively increased as strength improves. A review of 121 trials found PRT effectively increased strength in older people. This enabled them to improve their performance in walking, climbing stairs, getting out of a chair and other more complex activities.⁶

Another review of 49 studies of men ages 50 to 83 on a PRT program found that it decreased fat mass and increased lean body mass by an average of 2.4 pounds.⁷ A third review concluded that “this training method may be particularly effective in preventing sarcopenia.” ⁹

It's important for all older people, whether they have health conditions or not, to consult with their doctors before embarking on PRT and then get instructed by a well-qualified personal trainer who can personalize the training and diet to your needs and abilities.

Do-It-Yourself Muscle Building

For those who are not inclined to pursue this path, Dr. Storer, who we met earlier, suggests a few things you can do on your own to improve the strength of your legs, as this improves overall muscle power. This involves quickening movements against resistance such as rising from a seated position more quickly and pushing off steps more forcefully when climbing stairs. And don’t forget aerobic exercises such as walking, running, swimming and cycling. Although aerobic activity won’t build muscle, it’s been shown to help muscle quality by converting amino acids into muscle protein in healthy, independent older people.

Since older people have more difficulty breaking down protein from food and converting it into muscle protein, experts recommended eating more good quality sources such as meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, cheese, butter and milk. Many studies report older adults who eat more protein have better physical function, although it won’t in itself improve muscle strength. ⁸

PRT and aerobic exercise is recommended but any activity that works the muscles will help such as housework, gardening and yardwork. The point is to work your muscles any way you can.

As physiologist and professor of exercise at the University of Arkansas, Michelle Gray puts it: “I work primarily with older adults who are trying to either build and/or maintain muscle throughout their life span, and really how that happens is you use it or lose it.”¹⁰

Summary

Maintaining muscle mass as we age is crucial for overall health and longevity. Muscle loss, a natural part of aging, can lead to sarcopenia, which increases the risk of falls, cognitive decline, and chronic diseases. However, this can be mitigated through a combination of lifestyle interventions, including strength training, hormone balance, and targeted nutritional supplements. Seven key supplements—whey protein, vitamin D3, magnesium, calcium, HMB, creatine, and vitamin K2—play essential roles in building and preserving muscle strength, improving metabolism, and reducing inflammation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does HMB really build muscle?

Yes, HMB can build muscle and this has been shown in the scientific literature.

What is the best supplement for muscle-building over 50?

Every organ and system in the body requires multiple nutrients to function normally. The muscles are no different; they need the full range. But some are especially important for muscles and this includes vitamins D and K, the minerals calcium and magnesium, and other nutrients: whey protein, creatine and HMB. Choose a product that doesn't contain a proprietary blend but instead has full disclosure of all the ingredients in the supplement.

Does creatine make your muscles look bigger?

Yes, when taken in conjunction with resistance exercise.

Can I take HMB if I don't work out?

It’s strongly recommended to work out for optimum muscle growth, but it can be taken on its own.