A breakthrough study suggests Sestrin, a protein that occurs naturally in the human body, could mimic the effects of exercise in muscles without actually working out.
Scientific research has an important place in the world of health and fitness; these new discoveries help us improve the way we work out and take care of our bodies every day. Most recently, the University of Michigan published a study they did on the effects of Sestrin in mice and flies that suggested the protein could mimic the effects of working out.
Researchers started by developing a “fly treadmill” that tested the flies’ athletic strength and endurance. They then genetically engineered a strain of fly that did not produce any Sestrin to compare with the control group that did. The results? “The flies without Sestrin did not improve with exercise,” said professor Jun Hee Lee.
When they genetically engineered flies that produced more Sestrin, they “found those flies had abilities above and beyond the trained flies, even without exercise.” Essentially, the over-production of Sestrin allowed these flies to perform as though they had been working out and improved their muscle mass and conditioning, while flies without Sestrin were unable to show improvement regardless of how long they were trained. Sestrin also increased their aerobic capacity, respiration, and the rate at which the flies burned fat.
“We propose that Sestrin can coordinate these biological activities by turning on or off different metabolic pathways,” said Lee. “This kind of combined effect is important for producing exercise’s effects.”
For the more science-minded of you out there, you can read the abstract of the study in full on Nature.com. Sestrin has been commercially available as an exercise supplement for decades now but has never enjoyed the popularity of other supplements like creatine and protein powder for bodybuilding.
Further study is obviously needed, but the initial results suggest that Sestrin may be one of the best supplements you can incorporate into your gym routine since it enhances your body’s natural ability to build new metabolic pathways. It not only improves your ability to reach your full potential but actually raises the ceiling of what your full potential could be.
Although Sestrin is useful to athletes for obvious reasons, researchers have high hopes for what their study could be used to achieve in the future. Specifically, Sestrin’s effect on muscle mass is promising for the elderly and those who suffer from diseases that prevent them from exercising properly, such as a Parkinson’s or ALS.
An older person in perfect health might also benefit from Sestrin-derived treatments just to combat the natural decline in metabolism that comes with age. This could also be useful for older bodybuilders who are looking to keep their strength and conditioning up even as they enter their 50s or 60s.
Although those drugs are probably years away from being made available to the public, it’s safe to say that Sestrin should be on the supplement shortlist for any bodybuilder looking to stay in their best shape.
