Muscle & Metabolism: Are You Missing Out?

It is unfortunate that, for many, muscle is seen as either a means to a more aesthetic end, or as an unsightly physiological disaster that should be maintained (at best) and avoided (at worst). It has been my experience that neither the former, nor the latter population has a true appreciation of skeletal muscle for what it really is - metabolic currency.

Muscle is a crucial tissue for maintaining blood sugar control and energy balance. Muscle uses both glucose and fatty acids as fuel and serves as a source of amino acids for fuel by other tissue during periods of starvation (McPherron, Guo, Bond & Gavrilova, 2013). In addition, skeletal muscle will cause postprandial (occuring after a meal) insulin secretion to shuttle glucose where it needs to go, rather than into fat!

6 Under-Recognized Benefits of More Muscle:

You might think that there is nothing more boring than lifting a heavy object in a repetitive manner, however it is important to note the metabolic benefits that such training imparts. 

• Hypertrophy and strength training increases the growth of fast contracting 'glycolitic' fibers, which use glucose for fuel. While you may not be able to get away with Herculean serving sizes, having more lean mass will make your body more efficient at burning the carbs you DO eat.

• Studies on rodents have shown that those with increased muscle mass have reduced adipose (fat) mass and a resistance to diet-induced obesity. 

• In humans, lean mass is positively associated with reduced incidence of insulin resistance, or metabolic syndrome which are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes.

• Irisin from muscle has been found to promote brown adipose tissue differentiation and thermogenesis in white adipose tissue. For the uninitiated, brown adipose tissue (BAT) burns fat to produce heat and has profound effects on insulin sensitivity & glucose tolerance as well as metabolism, making it a more preferable form of adipose tissue. 

• Early findings suggest that muscle may produce a, yet unknown, factor that regulates food intake. Feedback is sent to the Central Nervous System from either the muscle acting on other tissue or via a direct muscle-brain link that relays satiety signals to the brain. Therefore, increased muscle mass should reduce, rather than increase, food intake.

• An additional benefit of exercise is increased vascularity, which may promote the increased delivery of oxygen, nutrients and insulin to muscle fibers.

So, for your muscle-phobes out there - take this message to heart and reap the benefits. When you hear 'muscle' you may think ...

But, remind yourselves: that's just your irrational self talking. 

Reference:

McPherron, A.C., Guo, T., Bond, N.D., & Gavrilova, O. (2013). Increasing muscle mass to improve metabolism. Adipocyte, 2(2), 1-7.