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E204
September 22, 2026
Muscle is the Organ for Longevity with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
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In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a board certified family physician and founder of the Institute for Muscle Centric Medicine, to talk about the way skeletal muscle, not body fat, determines how well women age. Dr. Lyon trained in geriatrics and nutritional sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and is the author of the bestselling book Forever Strong.

Dr. Lyon shares the moment that changed her thinking: a patient in her mid fifties who had done everything she'd been told to do, dieting, cardio, following the food guide pyramid, yet showed signs of accelerated brain aging. That case convinced Dr. Lyon that the real problem wasn't body fat. It was muscle. She explains that muscle is the body's largest site for glucose disposal, meaning low muscle mass can produce signs of insulin resistance and prediabetes even in women who are lean and have normal body fat.

The conversation covers why muscle quality, not just muscle quantity, matters so much. Fat that infiltrates muscle tissue drives insulin resistance, PCOS, and the metabolic dysfunction typically blamed on obesity, yet muscle quality still is not measured in routine care. Dr. Lyon and Dr. Haver also dig into dietary protein, why the standard recommendation of 60 to 70 grams a day is not enough to protect muscle during perimenopause and menopause, and why women should aim for closer to 100 grams a day alongside resistance training. They discuss carbohydrate tolerance, how sedentary muscle burns very little glucose, and why untrained women have a much lower threshold for carbohydrates before blood sugar and insulin become dysregulated.

They also explore myokines, the peptide hormones released when muscle contracts, including BDNF and interleukin six, and how these signals support brain health, metabolic function, and long term independence. Dr. Lyon's takeaway: resistance training and adequate dietary protein are the two things women actually control as they age, and no hormone therapy or other intervention can fully make up for it if those two are missing.

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Chapters

00:00:00 – Why muscle may matter more than body fat
00:00:53 – The midlife muscle problem
00:04:40 – What geriatrics teaches us about longevity
00:06:15 – The patient who changed Gabrielle Lyon’s thinking
00:08:34 – Muscle as the organ of longevity
00:14:06 – Why muscle quality matters
00:18:50 – Exercise improves muscle without weight loss
00:21:27 – Calories, macros, and the food pyramid
00:24:03 – Myokines and muscle as an endocrine organ
00:27:51 – Exercise, BDNF, and brain health
00:30:17 – How to identify insulin resistance
00:32:01 – Muscle health and carbohydrate tolerance
00:36:54 – How much protein women need
00:40:33 – Why protein needs change with age
00:43:08 – The case for at least 100g of protein
00:48:22 – Protein, activity, and the worst combination for aging
00:51:54 – Where to find Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

About the guest

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is board-certified in family medicine, a fellowship-trained physician from Washington University in St. Louis in Nutritional Science and Geriatrics, and the founder of Muscle-Centric Medicine®, a science-based approach that places skeletal muscle at the center of metabolic health, disease prevention, and longevity.

She is a two-time New York Times bestselling author of Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well and The Forever Strong PLAYBOOK. 

Through her books, podcast, and educational platforms, she translates complex science into practical strategies for building strength, preserving vitality, and maintaining independence throughout life. Widely recognized for her expertise in dietary protein and human performance, she works with elite athletes, high-performance leaders, an U.S. Special Operations Forces.

Dr. Lyon is leading a shift in modern medicine by redefining muscle as the foundation of long-term health and resilience. She continues to treat patients through her private telehealth medical practice, Strong Medical.