It is well known by now that smoking is a real killer either first or second-hand, causing cancer, heart attacks, strokes and a host of other health problems. Now another is added to the list.
Now a new study from researchers at The University of Nottingham have discovered why smokers also lose more muscle mass in old age than non-smokers. Research has already established that smokers tend to have a lower muscle mass than non-smokers but no one has been able to explain why.
As part of aging, smokers muscle loss can lead to a faster decline in overall physical function and loss of independence. Their research shows that smoking is likely to speed up a condition known as sarcopenia ? the loss of muscle mass with ageing which is linked to poor balance, gait speed, falls, and fractures.
The researchers found that amounts of a muscle growth inhibitor, which breaks down muscle protein, were higher in smokers than non-smokers, impairing the day to day upkeep of muscle.
The study looked at smokers and non-smokers in their mid sixties considered to be healthy, with no symptoms of lung disease, similar lifestyles and physical activity. The smokers had smoked at least a pack of 20 cigarettes a day for at least 20 years.
To measure the synthesis of muscle protein they were given an intravenous infusion of blood with a tagged amino acid (one of the building blocks of protein). Samples of muscle were taken from their thighs before and after the infusion to follow how much had “stuck” in muscle protein. This measured the rate of synthesis of muscle protein which contributes to the daily maintenance of the muscle mass. The researchers found that it was substantially less in smokers than non-smokers.
During extensive studies researchers found the higher amounts of myostatin, a muscle growth inhibitor and MAFbx enzyme, which breaks down muscle protein, in the smokers.
According to researcher Dr Philip Atherton, “From our tests, we can conclude that smoking slows the muscle protein synthesis machinery ? probably impairing day to day upkeep of muscle. We are all well aware of the ill affects of smoking on the lungs but our study reveals yet another cause of ill-health associated with smoking.”
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