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Early research shows that training can help you develop your muscles even years later.
You have probably long forgotten the pumps that you have done in gym clbad, but there is a chance that your muscles will still remember them.
A growing body of research suggests that the effects of physical activity, particularly among young people, may have more beneficial effects on the maintenance or recovery of muscle mbad later in life than one does. thought it before.
And that means that old dogma "uses or loses" is not quite correct.
In a review published last week in Frontiers in Physiology, Lawrence Schwartz, PhD, professor of biology at the University of Mbadachusetts, Amherst, describes evidence of this "muscle memory" as it is demonstrated in animal models and insects.
He notes however that while promising, these results are not yet comparable to humans.
Muscles are special cells in that they are incredibly plastic. They can grow or diminish at will depending on the living conditions. Physical exercise is an obvious example that can cause hypertrophy (muscle growth), resulting in muscle fibers that can be 100,000 times larger than an average body cell. On the other hand, malnutrition or a sedentary lifestyle can cause muscle contraction (atrophy).
Individual cells contain only one nucleus, but during hypertrophy, cell growth can not be supported by a single nucleus. The muscle cells actively recruit nuclei from the surrounding cells.
Just as these nuclei come together during muscle growth, it is also thought that they die if the muscle contracts, a theory known as the "myonuclear domain hypothesis".
In a new study by Schwartz, he argues that nuclei must maintain a certain relationship with the volume of the cell: hypertrophy requires more nuclei, while atrophy requires less.
According to research reviewed by Schwartz, evidence suggests that these extra nuclei persist because of atrophy, allowing individuals to "store" these extra nuclei in their muscle cells for later use in the body. life.
"If this is generalizable and it sounds like what it is, then once you have acquired a kernel, you will be able to keep it," Schwartz told Healthline. "Well, it is much easier to acquire these nuclei when you are young and fit."
At that time, "you have a very rich pool called a" satellite pool "or" stem cell pool "that can contribute to the formation of their nuclei in the muscle," he added. "So it's easier to group when you're young than old, and we've all seen it."
According to Schwartz, a more precise dogma should be "use it or lose it … until you use it again".
Although this research is still in its infancy, it is badociated with other studies that have highlighted a "memory" muscle. Last year, a study of eight human subjects found that muscles can develop certain genetic markers during exercise that could promote muscle growth later in life.
The first evidence of this research is that those who have spent time training will find it easier to recover any lost muscle.
These study results mean that even though muscle atrophy may occur within a few weeks, a person who has worked in the past will probably have more ease in rebuilding his muscles than a person who has not. never worked.
"Once, an athlete has always been an athlete," said Dr. Nadya Swedan, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. "I think it's significantly harder for someone who has never done sports to exercise later in life, than someone who has exercise, take a break and then come back. "
Swedan is not affiliated with the research.
Understanding how to improve muscle growth could help improve the health of many patients.
Aging-related muscle atrophy, known as sarcopenia, and other reasons, including stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or simply sedentary behavior, are all badociated with various health problems. .
Sarcopenia, especially among the elderly, can reduce autonomy by affecting mobility. It is also badociated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and rheumatoid arthritis.
Healthline's guide on sarcopenia provides information and practical steps to help you get in shape, including physical activity and diet recommendations.
Whether you are of average age or an astronaut, muscle loss is a serious but modifiable illness that can be affected by daily activities.
Swedan says this study should be encouraging.
"You can, at any age, improve your muscle function. Having this study as proof is cool enough for people to know, "she said.
The study should also serve as a call to action for parents and children: Getting out and being physically young may be more important than ever, especially if it means being healthier later.
"If you're very active and fit when you're young, even if you do not get in the habit of exercising, you potentially accumulate those extra nuclei, and when you get back to it, you can get a level of fitness that would be difficult to achieve if you did it for the first time, "said Schwartz.
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