Big Pharma Continues Its Smear Campaign Against It...

Protein and exercise are only part of the equation.

And if you’re missing the rest, all the protein shakes and strength training in the world won’t save your muscles.

The real problem — the missing piece that could help you recover the physical edge you had at 30 — is a silent deficiency in one overlooked vitamin.

This simple nutrient acts as the biological “master switch” for muscle repair.

Without this switch getting turned on, your muscles can’t respond to protein. They can’t rebuild from exercise.

I’m talking about a simple nutrient supplement that most doctors — at the urging of Big Pharma — continue to say is “harmful.”

Of course, this crucial nutrient was never harmful. It’s been the victim of a decades-long smear campaign that warned supplementing could lead to a toxic buildup in your liver and even death.

Sure, there’s a possibility of toxicity if you take outrageous doses for an extended period of time. But taking too much of anything can be dangerous, including Tylenol, NSAIDs, and ibuprofen.

The assault on this vitamin comes from misleading studies sponsored by drug companies.

You see, they have their own synthetic version that they’ve patented as drugs. They’re hoping you’ll trust their drug version instead of the natural form.

Meanwhile, most doctors have been convinced by these Big Pharma funded studies, so they tell you to avoid it at all costs.

I’m talking about vitamin A.

Not the inactive kind found in carrots and sweet potatoes that your body barely converts. I mean true retinol — the active form found only in select animal foods.

Retinol is the form of vitamin A your body absorbs and stores from foods. Once inside your cells, retinol is converted into retinoic acid — the compound that actually acts as the “master switch” for muscle repair.

And here’s the kicker: The same health “experts” who demonized red meat, butter, and egg yolks have systematically stripped this critical nutrient from your diet.

They’ve pushed you toward plant-based diets that provide very little bioavailable vitamin A. All while your muscle stem cells — the backup repair crews that rebuild damaged tissue — have been quietly shutting down.

The result? You’re weaker. You recover more slowly. You lose muscle mass year after year, no matter how much protein you force down or how hard you train.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In this issue of Confidential Cures, I’m going to show you hard scientific evidence that vitamin A is the missing link in muscle preservation.

You’ll discover why the natural retinol in foods your ancestors ate regularly literally flips the genetic switches that keep your muscles young and responsive.

And I’ll give you a simple, actionable plan to restore your body’s muscle-building capacity — starting today.

Inside your muscles right now are specialized stem cells responsible for muscle growth, maintenance, and repair throughout your life. They’re called satellite cells.

Think of them as your body’s emergency repair team.

When you exercise, when you strain a muscle, or when normal wear and tear damages muscle fibers, these satellite cells spring into action. They multiply, fuse with damaged muscle, and rebuild the tissue stronger than before.

This is how you maintain muscle mass, recover from workouts, and how you stay strong, mobile, and independent well into your 70s and 80s.

But here’s the problem...

These satellite cells don’t work on autopilot. They need a specific signal to activate. They need a molecular “switch” that tells them when to wake up and start repairing.

That switch is retinoic acid — the active form of vitamin A.¹

Without adequate vitamin A, your satellite cells stay dormant. They go into what scientists call “deep quiescence” — essentially, they fall asleep and won’t wake up.²

So even if you eat all the protein in the world, even if you lift weights religiously, your muscles can’t repair themselves properly.

And every year that passes with low vitamin A levels, your satellite cells become less responsive. The repair system gradually shuts down. Muscle tissue deteriorates. Weakness sets in.

The medical term for this is “sarcopenia” — age-related muscle loss. Your doctors will tell you it’s just part of getting older.

The good news is it doesn’t have to be...

Over the past few years, several major studies have exposed a fundamental flaw in how we’ve viewed muscle loss.

In one Italian study, researchers tracked 986 adults age 65 and older, measuring their blood vitamin levels and testing their muscle strength and walking ability.

Those with the highest retinol levels had up to 20% stronger quadriceps, faster walking speed, and better balance compared to those with the lowest levels — even after researchers accounted for age, diet, and physical activity.³

The effect was especially pronounced in men.

But it gets better...

A large-scale U.S. analysis found that for men, each dietary increment in retinol intake was linked to 2% greater odds of increased muscle mass. Higher vitamin A intake also translated to a significantly lower risk of sarcopenia.⁴

This study included thousands of participants ranging from age 20 to 80. And the benefits held up even after adjusting for inflammation and oxidative stress.

A large population study in Korean adults found that higher dietary retinol intake from animal foods was associated with significantly greater handgrip strength, independent of protein intake, age, or activity.⁵

And here’s what really clinches it: A clinical study of 136 older adults showed that retinol-binding protein 4 — the transport protein that carries vitamin A through your bloodstream to your muscles — and retinoic acid explained up to 11% of the variation in lower body strength — even after controlling for age, gender, and body mass.⁶

The bottom line: In adults over 50 — especially men — retinol is emerging as a crucial factor for preserving muscle strength, functional independence, and vitality as you age.

And these effects show up regardless of protein intake, exercise habits, or inflammation levels.

A 2023 study published in Nature Aging revealed exactly how vitamin A preserves muscle.⁷

Researchers discovered that retinoic acid signaling directly maintains the “stemness” of satellite cells. It keeps them in a healthy resting or “quiescent” state, ready to activate when needed.

Without adequate retinoic acid, satellite cells enter what the researchers called “deep quiescence”— a dormant state from which they can’t easily return.

Think of it like this: Normal quiescence is like a soldier on standby, ready for action. Deep quiescence is like that same soldier being drugged into a coma. He’s still alive, but he can’t respond when called.

The study showed that vitamin A supplementation in aging mice completely prevented this shift into deep quiescence. The satellite cells stayed responsive. The mice maintained their muscle mass and strength well into old age.

When the researchers blocked vitamin A signaling, the satellite cells immediately shifted into deep quiescence. Muscle repair capacity plummeted. Sarcopenia set in rapidly.

The conclusion was clear: Vitamin A isn’t just helpful for muscle maintenance and repair. It’s absolutely essential.

For 20 years, health “experts” have pushed plant-based diets as the gold standard. They’ve insisted you can get all your vitamin A from carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach.

There’s just one problem:

Beta-carotene is NOT vitamin A. It’s a precursor your body must convert into retinol — the active form your cells actually use.

And that conversion process is shockingly inefficient — especially as you age.

A study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition measured the conversion rate in adults over 50.⁸

The results were devastating.

In younger adults, the conversion rate is already poor — about 12:1. You need 12 molecules of beta-carotene to make 1 molecule of usable retinol.

But in adults over 50, that ratio plummets to 28:1 or worse.

A large carrot contains about 10,000 IU of beta-carotene. After conversion, you get maybe 400 IU of actual vitamin A — if you’re lucky.

But an ounce of beef liver has 8,000 IU of preformed retinol. And it’s ready to use with no conversion needed.

The liver has 20 times more bioavailable vitamin A than the carrot.

Egg yolks from pastured hens deliver 250 IU of ready-to-use retinol per yolk. Wild salmon has 150 IU per serving. Grass-fed butter packs 350 IU per tablespoon.⁹

All preformed retinol. All immediately usable by your body.

Meanwhile, plant-based advocates tell you to avoid these foods because of cholesterol or saturated fat.

They’re literally starving you of the nutrient your muscles need to survive.

Vitamin A doesn’t just activate satellite cells. It also protects the powerhouses inside your muscle cells — your mitochondria.

Mitochondria are the tiny engines that produce ATP — the energy currency your muscles run on. Every contraction, every movement, every ounce of strength you have depends on healthy mitochondria.

As you age, mitochondria naturally decline in number and function. This mitochondrial dysfunction is a major driver of muscle loss, weakness, and frailty.¹⁰

But here’s what recent research shows: Vitamin A directly prevents mitochondrial decline in muscle tissue.

In fact, a study published in March 2025 found that animal-derived vitamin A supplementation preserved mitochondrial function, increased ATP production, and prevented the metabolic dysfunction that leads to sarcopenia.¹¹

The researchers wanted to understand exactly how this works at the cellular level. So they turned to animal models. What they found was revealing.

When they deprived muscle cells of vitamin A, the mitochondria in muscle stem cells rapidly declined. ATP production dropped. Muscle function deteriorated.

But when they gave aging, vitamin A-deficient mice retinoic acid supplements, their mitochondrial health was restored. Their muscle metabolism improved. Their muscle repair capacity bounced back — even when their total protein intake stayed the same.

It wasn’t about protein. It was specifically about vitamin A.

This explains why so many older adults eating high-protein, low-fat, plant-heavy diets still lose muscle. Their mitochondria are starving for vitamin A.

At this point, you might be wondering: If vitamin A is so critical for muscle health, why isn’t this standard medical advice?

The reality is mainstream doctors rarely, if ever, bring sarcopenia up with patients... even though it affects around 45% of the older population.¹² You won’t see any TV ads about it either.

That’s because there’s no drug to treat it, so Big Pharma has no profit.

They’ve also spent billions convincing you that animal fats are dangerous, that cholesterol will kill you, that you need to eat “clean” and avoid red meat.

But here’s the truth...

Our ancestors thrived on muscle-building superfoods — not protein powders and meal replacement bars. They ate organ meats regularly. They consumed butter, eggs, and fatty fish without a second thought.

And they maintained their strength well into old age.

The safest — and most effective — way to restore your vitamin A is through real food. The kind your grandparents ate before the low-fat diet craze destroyed an entire generation’s health.

Here’s what to focus on:

NOTE: Do NOT take high-dose vitamin A supplements.

Synthetic, lab-created vitamin A can build up to toxic levels and damage your liver. They’re sold as retinyl palmitate and they’re made by combining an ester of retinol with synthesized palmitic acid.

But it’s not natural vitamin A.

For years, I’ve advocated an exercise training method based on the way our ancestors moved: short bursts of intense activity followed by rest and recovery.

I call it Progressive Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion, or PACE.

PACE works by triggering your body’s adaptive response. Instead of long, exhausting workouts that break down muscle, you do brief bouts of exercise that increase in effort and exertion. This signals your body to build muscle and increase capacity.

Here’s how this ties in with vitamin A... When you do PACE-style resistance training, you create controlled muscle damage that activates those satellite cells we talked about earlier.

With adequate vitamin A on board, those satellite cells respond powerfully. They multiply, fuse with damaged fibers, and rebuild the muscle stronger.

But when you combine animal-sourced vitamin A with PACE training, you create a synergistic effect. The vitamin A primes your satellite cells. The exercise activates them. Your muscles respond like they did when you were decades younger.

I’ve seen 70-year-old patients add significant muscle mass using this protocol. And not in months — in weeks.

It works because you’re working with your biology, not against it.

For the greatest impact, I recommend starting with the largest muscles in your body — your thighs.

In one study, researchers had older men do exercises similar to what I recommend in my PACE program. They worked out three times per week on their lower bodies. They experienced up to a 107% increase in quadriceps strength and an impressive 226% increase in hamstring (knee flexor) strength after 12 weeks of this type of training.¹³

You don’t need a gym to get these benefits. Here are two to try at home:

Start with three sets of each exercise. To make it truly PACE, increase the challenge slightly with each set by adding repetitions, resistance, or reducing rest time.

This progressive overload helps your muscles adapt and grow stronger — and no fancy equipment is required.

1. Zhuang L, Jang YC, et al. “Retinoic acid signaling maintains muscle stem cell quiescence and mitigates age-related muscle loss.” Nat Aging. 2023;2(10):865-876.

2. Zhuang L, Jang YC, et al. “Retinoic acid signaling maintains muscle stem cell quiescence and mitigates age-related muscle loss.” Nat Aging. 2023;2(10):865-876.

3. Bartali B, Semba RD, Ferrucci L, et al. “Antioxidants and physical performance in elderly persons: The InCHIANTI study.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(3):260–267.

4. Fang M, et al. “Systematic exploration of the association between vitamin A intakes and sarcopenia prevalence in American adults.” Food Sci Nutr. 2024;12(12):10786-10799.

5. Jang JI, et al. “Oily fish, retinol and magnesium intake are positively associated with handgrip strength in adults: Results from the KNHANES 2016–2018.” Nutrients. 2021;13(11):4061. doi:10.3390/nu13114061.

6. Ryu M, et al. “Retinol-binding protein 4 and retinoic acid are associated with muscle strength and power in older adults.” Nutrients. 2020;12(2):387.

7. Zhuang L, et al. “Retinoic acid signaling maintains muscle stem cell quiescence and mitigates age-related muscle loss.” Nat Aging. 2023;2(10):865-876.

8. Tang G. “Bioconversion of dietary provitamin A carotenoids to vitamin A in humans.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(5):1468S–1473S.

9. USDA National Nutrient Database. “Vitamin A content in common foods.” Accessed October 31, 2025.

10. Sahin E, DePinho RA. “Axis of ageing: telomeres, p53 and mitochondria.” Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2012;13(6):397-404.

11. Fraczek PM, et al. “Vitamin A retinoic acid contributes to muscle stem cell and mitochondrial function loss in old age.” PMC (NIH). 2025 Mar 24.

12. Zhang R, et al. “Global research trends in sarcopenia: a bibliometric analysis of exercise and nutrition (2005–2025).” Front Nutr. 2025; 12:1579572.

13. Frontera WR, et al. “Strength conditioning in older men: skeletal muscle hypertrophy and improved function.” J Appl Physiol. 1988; 64: 1038-44.