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Research provides insight into muscle loss with aging

As we get older, it can become more difficult to use one’s muscles. This is where home therapy can come into play, as seniors can work with professionals in order to move with less effort.

However, researchers may have new insight into aging muscles, which could help provide insight as to how to reverse the effects of getting older. According to a study published in the journal Nature, a team of researchers looked at the stem cells found inside muscles in order to determine why muscles’ ability to regenerate declines with age.

The study’s authors found that the protein FGF2 may play a role in the issue, as it can awaken dormant stem cells that are not needed. As a result of this, when the muscle tries to repair itself, stem cells may not be able to properly respond.

While the researchers noted this information was exciting, there is still a ways to go in terms of preventing muscles from aging.

“Preventing or reversing muscle wasting in old age in humans is still a way off, but this study has for the first time revealed a process which could be responsible for age-related muscle wasting, which is extremely exciting,” said researcher Dr. Albert Basson, senior lecturer at the King’s College London Dental Institute.