TRAIN TO GAIN
ENGINEERED
MUSCLE REGENERATION
Scientists can now engineer muscle growth?
Miqin Zhang, a University of Washington pro-
fessor of materials science and engineering,
leads a team taking a synthetic technique to
muscle regeneration. The aim is to “create a
synthetic, porous, biologically compatible
‘scaffold’ that mimics the normal extracellular
environment of skeletal muscle -- onto which
human cells could migrate and grow new
replacement fibers.”
MUSCLE
RESEARCH
This research was initiated because muscles
have limited abilities to regenerate and repair
themselves after certain types of damage. How-
ever, this technology has seemingly farfetched
implications that could become reality in the
fitness industry.
Food for thought: Cosmetic surgery is wildly
popular. It helps people enhance their appear-
ance in various ways. What if bodybuilders
could use this muscle-generating technology to
actually grow muscle groups they have difficulty
with such as their calves?
By Sarah Chadwell, NASM CPT
VITAMIN D INCREASES
MUSCULAR STRENGTH
You may have heard that vitamin D is
important for the regulation of calcium,
bone health and metabolism, but a
new study shows that it may be linked
to much more; it could help optimize
muscle strength.
A team of researchers at the University
of Birmingham investigated the roles
of active versus inactive vitamin D in
our bodies. They found that, “Individu-
als with an increased lean mass, and
muscle bulk, had a higher level of ac-
tive vitamin D in the bloodstream.”
One of the researchers, Dr. Hassan
Smith, stated, “It may be that body fat
is linked to increased levels of inactive
vitamin D, but lean mass is the key
for elevated levels of active vitamin D.
It is vital to understand the complete
picture, and the causal mechanisms at
work, so we can learn how to supple-
ment vitamin D intake to enhance
muscle strength.”
How does this impact you? If research
shows that active vitamin D is now
linked to muscle health, it may be time
to make sure you’re supplementing
with appropriate amounts.
It literally takes years of diligent training and
proper diet to build your body. If researchers can
engineer muscles to grow more quickly via an
implant that actually allows your cells to grow
on and replace muscle fibers, that’s a game
changer. You could defy genetics, which is a
leading factor in determining how quickly you
build mass.
Though this research wasn’t intended to help
bodybuilders get massive, but rather to help
those who have been severely injured, it doesn’t
seem likely that it’ll be available to the masses
– until someone sees that it could be just as
profitable as cosmetic surgery.
However, it’s not as easy as just taking
an over the counter supplement. To
have active vitamin D in your blood-
stream, it must be synthesized in both
your liver and kidneys. This process
requires sunlight to get kick started, so
take your workouts outside. Then your
body can begin the process of creating
active vitamin D and help you to opti-
mize the full potential of your muscles.
9
8 SEPTEMBER 2017 | ironmanmagazine.com
The number of years younger your cells could
appear if you engage in 40 minutes of sweat-
filled workouts five days a week, according to a
Brigham Youn