Relation of muscle weakness and age
New Delhi. As age increases, many changes occur in the body. One of these common problems is muscle weakness. With age, even simple tasks like walking, climbing stairs or getting up from a chair become difficult. This is called Sarcopenia. Recently, scientists have discovered an important biological process behind it, which can open new avenues of its treatment.
In this study, scientists have focused on the mitochondria present in muscle cells. Mitochondria are considered the 'powerhouse' of cells, as they produce energy. Its functionality gets affected with increasing age.
Research has revealed the role of a special fat molecule called Cardiolipin. It helps in keeping the inner membrane of mitochondria stable and in energy production. Scientists believe that cardiolipin levels in muscles may decrease with age, causing increased stress on the mitochondria.
Due to this change, slow but more tolerant slow-twitch fibers may grow in place of fast-twitch fibers that provide fast speed and strength in the muscles. According to scientists, this may be a protective reaction, whereby cells attempt to avoid mitochondrial damage.
In experiments conducted on rats, the age-related processes of muscles were improved by influencing the changes associated with cardiolipin. However, these results are currently limited to animal studies and further clinical research is needed to confirm them in humans.
Scientists hope that understanding the role of mitochondria and cardiolipin will lead to the development of new treatments for sarcopenia and age-related muscle weakness in the future.