In this day and age, one of the most talked about words in fitness is myostatin inhibitors. Myostatin is also called Growth Differentiation Factor 8(GDF-8). It is synthesized by muscle cells to inhibit myogenesis. Myogenesis is just a fancy term for muscle growth. While the average gym goer probably doesn’t care, athletes and bodybuilders know this is a new frontier to unlimited muscle growth far beyond that of the potential of growth hormone, insulin, and anabolic steroids. Bodybuilders in particular are interested because they know that inhibiting myostatin results in hyperplasia (increase in number of muscle cells) and hypertrophy (growth of muscle cells). Research is uncovering new things everyday on this subject.
Double knockout Myostatin Mutant Whippet
The whippet above left with double knock down of the myostatin gene, the whippet below is normal in all regards.
New Research reveals…
In 2014, Italian researchers had discovered that sulforaphane had improved the survival chances of one type of stem cell is capable of developing into a muscle cell. Sulforaphane is found in many cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and other sprouts. These vegetables don’t actually contain sulforaphane, they contain glucoraphanin. Cutting, chewing and digesting these type vegetables converts glucorphanin into sulforaphane. Researchers have long looked at these vegetables for their cancer fighting and detoxification properties. Meanwhile, at the University of Bonn, researchers were testing pig satellite cells due to their remarkable similarity to human muscle cells. Satellite cells found in muscle have the ability to become mature muscle cells. What was uncovered in this research is that sulforaphane dramatically reduced the production of myostatin in satellite cells.
What is the Take Away Message?
Everyday science uncovers more interesting facts regarding the human body. Something as simple as eating broccoli could help millions of gym goers put on some of that hard earned muscle they have been trying to build. Who needs anabolic steroids or growth hormones when you have Broccoli? Perhaps our parents were right when they said those dreaded three words “eat your vegetables.”
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