Myokines are the health secret of our muscles

Regular fitness programs, according to individual abilities, are super healthy. This has not been a secret for a long time. Muscles, in particular, are absolute health wonders. And now we know why: it’s the myokines. Here’s what you need to know:

When were myokines discovered?

Amazingly, we are still finding new things about our bodies. But that is exactly what happened with the discovery of myokines. Professor Bente Klarlund Pedersen discovered them in her Copenhagen Institute for Metabolic Diseases in 2007. The research in the years that followed has brought amazing things to light. For example, muscles not only enable us to move. They also produce highly healthy messenger substances. But only if you train them accordingly.

Why are myokines so healthy?

Myokines translate as muscle messengers. A rather fitting name. Because when we train our muscles, they leave the muscle and travel to the organs. They then influence these in a variety of healthy ways. The first myokine discovered is called interleukin 6. It strengthens our immune system and fights inflammation. It even has insulin-like abilities because it promotes the absorption of sugar into the muscle cells. This means it cannot only prevent diabetes, but it can also even cure the early form of type 2 diabetes.

Other positive effects of myokines

As already mentioned, it is muscle movements that produce myokines. Once they have been released by the muscle movements, they are distributed throughout our body via the blood. After a sufficiently intense fitness workout, the number of myokines in the blood increases over 20-fold. They settle on receptors and emit signals. These then have different effects depending on the receptor occupied:

• They stimulate fat metabolism.

• Increase the primary energy requirement.

• They are involved in building skeletal muscles.

• Improve blood circulation and stimulate bone growth.

• They have a positive influence on inflammatory processes and stimulate vascularisation.

Myokines can reduce the dangerous visceral fat

Medical science is also excited about a myokine called VEGF. VEGF stimulates the growth of blood vessels. Several organs benefit from this, including the heart, brain, and kidneys. And that’s not all: VEGF can also relax the blood vessels. This lowers blood pressure. Another myokine discovered is interleukin 15, which helps reduce the dangerous visceral fat in the abdominal area. It is also interesting for those who want to build up massive amounts of muscle. Interleukin 15 signals the organism to store more proteins in the muscle, making the trained powerhouses grow.

Regular training is crucial

The body produces myokines in vast quantities during short and high-intensity exercise. HIIT, which is so popular, is therefore ideally suited. Here you can read what you need to know about HIIT. But even during a brisk walk, the muscles release the super-healthy messenger substances. Research is still in full swing, but regular training is definitely essential.