Research

Hormonal

Older women may exhibit elevated fasted muscle protein synthesis (MPS) rates compared to younger women or age-matched men, but their MPS response to anabolic stimuli like resistance exercise or protein ingestion may be blunted.

As you age, your muscles may not respond as strongly to exercise and protein as they did when you were younger. This doesn't mean exercise is useless, but it does mean you may need to be more consistent and potentially adjust your protein intake to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

ModerateQualifiesLOW confidence
MPS responses to anabolic stimuli, such as resistance exercise (n = 3/4) or protein ingestion (n = 3/6), may be blunted in older women.
Campbell Menzies et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2026

Why this rating

Based on a small number of studies (3-7) using stable isotope tracers, with inconsistencies in findings.

Source

Menopause, Female Sex Hormones, Skeletal Muscle Mass and Muscle Protein Turnover in Humans

Campbell Menzies et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2026

DOI 10.1002/jcsm.70232

narrative_reviewCited 1×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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