Gabrielle Lyon

At a glance

• Gabrielle Lyon is an American physician (doctor of osteopathic medicine) who completed a fellowship in nutritional science and geriatrics at Washington University in St. Louis.
• She founded the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine and promotes the idea that skeletal muscle is an ‘organ of longevity’: not just for movement, but also for blood sugar, metabolism and resilience.
• In her view, medicine focuses too much on fat loss and too little on maintaining and building muscle mass.
• Her book Forever Strong (2023) combines strength training with a protein-rich eating pattern, with protein spread across meals and a substantial first meal.
• On her podcast, The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show, she talks with doctors, researchers and athletes about muscle, nutrition and healthy ageing.
• For longevity, her message matters because muscle loss (sarcopenia) is linked to falls, loss of independence and poorer health in later life. Her protein recommendations are higher than most official guidelines.
• Takeaway: combine regular strength training with enough protein spread across the day.