Blocking a specific protein called myostatin makes muscles grow bigger in both mice and people—even without using special muscle stem cells, which scientists thought were necessary.

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The role of satellite cells in muscle hypertrophy

Narrative Review

Human

2014 Feb

This study shows that muscles can grow bigger even when the stem cells usually needed for growth are removed — meaning there are other ways to build muscle, like with myostatin inhibition, without those stem cells.

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Source Study

The role of satellite cells in muscle hypertrophy

Score: 1

DOI: 10.1007/s10974-014-9376-y

Similar Assertions

When muscles get bigger, tiny repair cells called satellite cells usually wake up to help—but new research shows muscles can still grow bigger even if those cells are turned off, using other tricks inside the muscle fibers themselves.

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When your muscles get really big—more than 22% larger—they need extra help from special cells to add more nuclei so they can keep growing.

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