The secret of muscle growth revealed...
Scientists believe they may have discovered the secrets behind
bigger muscles.
Studies have suggested that a gene called myostatin controls the
growth of muscles in animals.
But a team of international scientists has now found evidence
to suggest it also affects humans.
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine,
could one day help people with muscle wasting diseases.
The discovery followed DNA tests on a German boy, born with unusually
well developed muscles.
The boy's upper arm and upper leg muscles were roughly twice as
big as other infants.
The scientists found that the boy had a mutation in the myostatin
gene. This mutation meant he was unable to produce myostatin protein.
They believe that this was why his muscles were bigger than other
boys of the same age.
The boy is now five years old. He is still much stronger than
other children the same age.
So far, his lack of myostatin does not appear to be affecting
his health.
However, doctors are keeping a close eye on him in case it causes
key organs, like the heart, to increase in size.
A study published in 1997 found that knocking out the myostatin
gene in mice enabled them to grow bigger muscles.
Studies on cattle also found that those that were naturally bulky
produced less myostatin protein. The scientists believe these latest
findings show that the same process works in humans.
They also believe that techniques used to block this gene in mice
could be used on humans, including those who have difficulty developing
muscles.
"This is the first evidence that myostatin regulates muscle mass
in people as it does in other animals," said Dr Se-Jin Lee, professor
of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University and
one of those involved in the study.
"That gives us a great deal of hope that agents already known
to block myostatin activity in mice may be able to increase muscle
mass in humans too."
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