GIVE AGEING THE CHOP WITH A LAMB ROAST

Poultry is a training staple, but lamb is the mature choice for fitness that will last a lifetime

Protein puritans have long been sheepish when it comes to eating lamb. Because of its fatty reputation, it places way below chicken and turkey in the post-workout pecking order. But, according to new science, these myopic musclemen are wrong. When it comes to your Sunday lunch, lamb is truly a cut above.

Biologists at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy have discovered that a compound in the meat can significantly reduce the age-related decline of muscle endurance. As a result, lamb could help you maintain the 10K stamina of your twenties – not to mention the abs – well into your fifties. Older muscles are less effective at converting nutrients into energy, as the mitochondria (in essence, your cells’ batteries) become inefficient. Combine this with the 1% per year drop in testosterone you experience after hitting your thirties and the race to outrun Father Time is increasingly an uphill battle.

But the L-carnitine in lamb may hold the answer. In the study, an acetylated form of the compound not only increased test subjects’ levels of new mitochondria, but restored some function to those that were beginning to deteriorate. For you, this means a boost to your muscle endurance that will have younger rivals struggling to keep pace.

Make lamb the centrepiece of your roast and you’ll dine out on around 190mg of L-carnitine per 100g, which is more than double the content of the next best source, beef. So, carve out fitness for life this weekend. A spoonful of mint sauce won’t go amiss, either.