Whether it be a brisk walk around the park or high intensity training at the gym, exercise does a body good. But what if you could harness the benefits of a good workout without ever moving a muscle?
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"Researchers have previously observed that Sestrin accumulates in muscle following exercise," said Myungjin Kim, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology. Kim, working with professor Jun Hee Lee, Ph.D. and a team of researchers wanted to know more about the protein's apparent link to exercise. Their first step was to encourage a bunch of flies to work out.
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"Flies can usually run around four to six hours at this point and the normal flies' abilities improved over that period," says Lee. "The flies without Sestrin did not improve with exercise."
The beneficial effects of Sestrin include more than just improved endurance. Mice without Sestrin lacked the improved aerobic capacity, improved respiration and fat burning typically associated with exercise.
Lee also helped another collaborator, Pura Muñoz-Cánoves, Ph.D., of Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, to demonstrate that muscle-specific Sestrin can also help prevent atrophy in a muscle that's immobilized, such as the type that occurs when a limb is in a cast for a long period of time. "This independent study again highlights that Sestrin alone is sufficient to produce many benefits of physical movement and exercise," says Lee.
Additionally, adds Kim, scientists still don't know how exercise produces Sestrin in the body. "This is very critical for future study and could lead to a treatment for people who cannot exercise." phys.org