protein intake could slow muscle loss.

Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found older bodies are just as good as younger ones at turning protein-rich food into muscle.

Senior study author Douglas Paddon-Jones compared changes in muscle protein synthesis in 10 young and 10 elderly volunteers after eating a four-ounce serving of lean beef. By analyzing blood and muscle samples, the researchers were able to measure the rate at which a particular individual’s body built muscle protein. Five hours after the young and elderly volunteers ate the beef, both groups’ muscle protein synthesis increased by 50 percent.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests a diet containing a moderate amount of protein-rich food such as beef, fish, pork, chicken, dairy or nuts may help slow the deterioration of elderly people’s muscles.