Study says THIS protein can help maintain muscle mass while losing fat – India TV

A recent study found that the protein BCL6 can help in maintaining muscle mass and also suggested that the BCL6-boosting therapeutics can help GLP-1 users retain muscle while losing fat. With the recent surge in weight loss drugs like Ozempic which is also known as GLP-1s, there have been new studies which look at how our bodies regulate muscle growth.
The new study was conducted by researchers from the Salk Institute and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the new study, the researchers found that a protein called BCL6 is key for maintaining healthy muscle mass. Researchers say that mice with low levels of BCL6 had significantly reduced muscle mass and strength, however, when the BCL6 was increased, it successfully reversed those losses.
Similar therapies can also be used to treat other populations that are prone to muscle loss such as older adults and patients with diseases like sepsis or cancer.
The results of the study reveal that pairing GLP-1 medications with a BCL6-boosting drug can help counteract unwanted muscle loss.
Ronald Evans, professor and director of the Gene Expression Laboratory at Salk Institute said, “Muscle is the most abundant tissue in the human body, so its maintenance is critical to our health and quality of life.
“Our study reveals how our bodies coordinate the upkeep of all this muscle with our nutrition and energy levels, and with this new insight, we can develop therapeutic interventions for patients losing muscle as a side effect of weight loss, age, or illness.”
The study also says that fasting helps in the secretion of growth hormone which reduces BCL6 levels in muscle cells. BCL6 is a regulator of SOCS2, so less BCL6 leads to less SOCS2. BCL6 controls how much SOCS2 is expressed and, therefore, how much IGF1 is produced. In animals without BCL6, the lack of control over SOCS2 slowed IGF1 production so much that muscles became weaker and smaller.
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