One of the most important articles of the year shows that people die from inactivity, not just from aging. We know that as people age, they lose muscle, their immunities weaken and because of their weakened immunity, they are more likely to die of infectious diseases or cancers. This study shows that older men and younger men turn over body protein at the same rate. Lack of protein causes death. As you age, you lose your ability to kill germs because of lack of muscle. When a germ gets into your body, you must make proteins called antibodies and cells to kill these germs. However, antibodies and cells are made from protein, and the only place that you can store extra protein is in your muscles. When you have large muscles, you can take the protein from muscles and make antibodies and cells. When you have small muscles, you lack sources of amino acids to make proteins, and your immunity is inadequate to kill germs. You also need antibodies to control cancer cells, so with loss of protein comes loss of antibodies and increased susceptibility to suffer cancer.
