Protein and Healthy Aging: New York Physicians Learn Current Recommendations

The Beef Checkoff hosted an engaging dinner seminar for influential health professionals practicing in the Buffalo, NY, metropolitan area. The evening event was hosted at The Buffalo Club on Thursday, September 19, where twenty health influencers were in attendance and gained valuable information on “Protein & Healthy Aging: Is It Time to Rethink Current Recommendations?” from researcher Douglas Paddon-Jones, Ph.D, FACSM. Attendees included a mixed group of Registered Nurses and physicians practicing Internal Medicine, Family, Rehab Medicine, Neurology, Urology and additional health professional staff. 

The evening began with a warm welcome from checkoff and beef council staff, which led into sharing the latest research suggesting patients consume a moderate amount of protein at three meals each day to support healthy aging, positively influencing muscle growth, muscle repair and weight management.¹ Dr. Paddon-Jones reviewed the evidence and offered insights on muscle strength and healthy aging. As a Professor of Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Paddon-Jones has extensive background and history in researching the positive effects lean beef has on muscle protein synthesis. He is a recipient of the Vernon R. Young International Award for Amino Acid Research and has published numerous papers on exercise, nutrition, the sarcopenia of aging and the physiology of physical activity. 

After enjoying a delicious beef dinner, attendees engaged in a round table discussion to address their questions about current protein recommendations and how to combat sarcopenia in their patients. The interactive sharing informed staff of effective ways to support the attendees’ nutrition efforts moving forward.

The evening served as a great opportunity to engage with this group of influential health professionals who have the advantage of advocating for beef in their patients’ diets. Staff was able to listen to their concerns, while also sharing nutrition research about the importance of beef in a healthy dietary pattern. Jennifer Orr, Director of Nutrition Education for the checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) commented, “It was refreshing to see how engaged the physicians were with the content and speaker! All attendees found the checkoff content compelling and would be willing to attend similar checkoff events that host a captivating speaker and session, relevant to their practice. Although, we addressed a lot of concerns about the benefits of lean meat and sarcopenia, attendees still had questions about red meat and cardiovascular risk. This provides staff with great insight into additional programs we can offer these audiences.” 

This event was made possible by the Iowa Beef Industry Council through funding to the beef checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative Program, and with assistance from the New York Beef Council. For more information on the checkoff’s involvement, visit the NEBPI website, NEBPI Facebook page or contact Jennifer Orr [email protected].

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 The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.    

1. Symons TB, Sheffield-Moore M, Mamerow MM, Wolfe RR, Paddon-JonesD. The anabolic response to resistance exercise and a protein-rich meal is not diminished by age. J Nutr Health Aging. 2011;15(5):376-381