Study Finds Link Between Gut Health And Muscle Strength from Natural Blaze
The microorganisms living in the intestines could help with muscle growth and function, opening new doors to interventions for age-related skeletal muscle loss, an international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found.
Through a series of strength and movement-related exercises conducted on mice, the team comprising researchers from Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, France, UK, US, and Australia, found that mice with gut microbes had stronger skeletal muscles that can produce more energy when compared to mice without any gut microbes, known as germ-free mice.
All species, including humans, have a myriad of microbial species living inside them. Those that line the gut play a major role in body functions, from metabolism to the immune system.
Now is your chance to support Gospel News Network.
We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
Evidence for a link between gut microbes and skeletal muscle mass was strengthened when the international research team transplanted gut microbes from standard laboratory mice into germ-free mice. Muscle growth and function in the germ-free mice were partially restored following the transplant.
The findings point to a new potential method for tackling age-related skeletal muscle loss by altering the gut microbe composition.
The study, published in Science Translational Medicine in July, could also pave the way for important studies relevant to muscle development, growth and formation of functional nerve-muscle communication.
Professor Sven Pettersson from the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, who led the study, said, “These results further strengthen the growing evidence of gut microbes acting as crucial gatekeepers to human health, and provide new insight into muscle mass maintenance with respect to ageing. Given that healthy ageing is one of the main healthcare goals of Singapore’s ageing population, these results are encouraging. They lay the foundation for future studies that evaluate how microbes and their metabolites may be potential targets of intervention to improve skeletal muscle strength in the elderly, especially in countries such as Singapore with rapidly ageing populations.”
