Spotlight on: Muscle as the key organ for healthy longevity

Our organs are body parts with specific functions, and endocrine organs are the specific types of organs that produce and release hormones into circulation via blood, with broad ranging effects. For example, our adrenal glands release adrenaline and noradrenaline, and specific cells within our pancreas release insulin.

Your muscle is also an organ. It is made of specialised cells and because of benefit #3, it functions as an endocrine organ. So long as it is gained drug-free, more muscle is almost always more beneficial, both for enjoyment of life now and later, and much later! 

So what does muscle do for us?

#1 Muscle enables movement and function. 

It is what lets you move, dance, run, lift, and all the mundane but essential activities for daily living. This is why there are tests like sitting up from a chair, from the floor, and grip-strength, that are strongly predictive of quality of life and health

#2 Muscle improves metabolic health. 

Muscle helps regulate the clearance of both sugar and fats from our blood circulation, reducing the risk of developing diabetes or fatty liver.

#3 Muscle produces anti-inflammatory immune modulating myokines.

Muscle produces myokines during exercise, which help reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity and promote the growth and repair of other tissues.

#4 Muscle strongly supports mental health. 

Muscle enables living, which helps keep us younger, but it also stimulates the increased production of neurotransmitters, like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that contribute directly to brain and mental health, reducing anxiety, depression and enhancing mood and memory.

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