I was sad that I missed this years’ Shaklee Conference, because it was held while I was shepherding the July newsletter to the printer. The FrontRunners did all the heavy-lifting for me for 18 years (taking orders, collecting fees, and overseeing deliveries), but the ensuing big change expanded my publishing skillset, and for that I am grateful.

The two most important portions of the Convention were the update to Shaklee's complete Life Shake line AND the October release of the new Sparkling Protein.


Let’s start by reviewing the discussion led by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, author of “Forever Strong: A New, Science-based Strategy for Aging Well.” [1]




Meet Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

Dr. Lyon earned her doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and is board certified in Family Medicine. She completed her undergrad training in Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, focusing on Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism. She then completed a combined research and clinical fellowship in Nutritional Science/ Geriatrics at Washington University in St. Louis.

The traditional medical advice about health, starting in the late 80s, was that cholesterol was a huge health threat. Dr Lyon says that medicine got it wrong. Their focus was on fat... avoiding it, and suppressing it, while she advised us that:

“We are not overfat. We are under-muscled.”

After all, our muscles BURN those calories, and so, more muscle is the ideal solution. Muscles are also our largest single organ. And as it turns out, our muscle system is also part of our endocrine system.

Muscles in motion (following repeated contractions) burn calories, and those muscle fibers also release small proteins (called myokines) that act as messengers, influencing numerous bodily functions through autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine effects.   Her major thesis is that “Muscle is the organ of longevity”

Myokines play a role in various bodily functions, including:

• Metabolism:   Regulating glucose and fat metabolism.

• Brain health:   Affecting cognitive function.

• Inflammation:   By reducing inflammation.

• Muscle growth and repair:   Contribute to muscle building and repair.

• Bone health:   Influencing bone formation.

The most interesting point Gabrielle shared was about our protein intake.

Current protein recommendations (RDA) of 0.9 grams per kilo (or 2.2 pounds of weight), is horribly outdated (based on World War II research) and current research now suggests DOUBLE that dose:

1 gram (g) of protein, per pound of our TARGET weight, per day. [2], [3], [4]

So, IF you weigh 120 pounds (or wish you did!), you require 120 grams of protein per day. She also explained that while digesting 100 grams of protein, it will also release about 60 grams of glucose during extended digestion. For that reason, we do NOT need to consume as many carbohydrates as we used to (like bread, noodles, potatoes etc.)

She recommends that each meal should contain a minimum of 30-50 g. protein (depending on our weight) and no more than 40 g of added carbs, per meal.

The most important thing you will experience following a high(er) protein meal is that you will feel FULL AND SATISFIED for MUCH longer periods, and you will NOT daydream about munching on pastries.

This week (in late July) I started by upping my meal shake to 3 scoops (30 grams) of Life Shake protein, and even after 5 hours I was still not hungry.

If you are not ready to read her book, she does have numerous interviews and podcasts available online [4], to get you started.

When you combine DOUBLING your protein intake WITH EXERCISE, you will discover that “Muscle really is the organ of longevity.”




The New Life Shake

The first and most important news is that Life Shake (be it plant-based or soy-based) will ALWAYS be sourced from non-GMO, organically-grown, and meticulously rendered powders, with no damage to their constituent nutrients.

Second: Over Life Shake’s 10-year history, Shaklee has always responded to customer concerns about removing sugar (low as it was) from their shake formula. They experimented with various non-glycemic ingredients, to add a sense of sweetness, to help make the meal go down smoothly. The new shake now contains 0-grams of sugar, and is naturally sweetened and with monk fruit and Reb M.

Monk Fruit is classified as a non-nutritive sweetener (NNS). Scientists at Jacobs School of Medicine (here in Buffalo, NY) did a small trial involving people who were overweight/obese with variations in their insulin resistance. [5], Their conclusions were that insulin resistance is associated with the choice of sugar-sweetened over monk fruit sweetened yogurt.

One year before, these same researchers found that insulin resistance was associated with a preference for sugar-sweetened foods in participants with obesity, which may make it hard for them to make dietary changes. That is a pretty good definition for addictive behavior and (may) help explain WHY customers have resisted NNS sweeteners in the past. [6]