The Study
Antioxidant Apigenin Relieves Age-Related Muscle Atrophy by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Hyperactive Mitophagy and Apoptosis in Skeletal Muscle of Mice
This study gave mice a plant chemical called apigenin and saw that their muscles looked stronger and their cells had less damage. But it didn't prove the chemical caused the improvement — it just showed they happened together. It's like noticing that kids who eat more carrots run faster — maybe the carrots helped, or maybe they just play outside more.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave old mice a natural plant compound called apigenin every day for nine months to see if it could help their muscles stay strong.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 519 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These improvements suggest apigenin might help slow muscle loss in aging, but mice are not humans — it’s not yet known if it works the same way in people.
- 2Mice that got apigenin (50 mg/kg/day) had stronger muscles, ran farther, had more mitochondria, more energy (ATP), less cell damage, and less cell death compared to untreated old mice.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Year
2020
Authors
Dongtao Wang, Yajun Yang, Xiaohu Zou, Jing Zhang, Zena Zheng, Ziwei Wang
Related Content
Claims (6)
In older male mice, taking apigenin daily for nine months at a dose of 50 mg per kilogram of body weight is linked to lower levels of oxidative stress markers and higher activity of antioxidant enzymes.
In aged male mice, taking 50 mg/kg of apigenin daily for nine months is linked to greater muscle mass, stronger grip strength, better running endurance, and more mitochondria in muscle tissue.
In older male mice, daily apigenin supplementation for nine months is associated with higher activity of key mitochondrial energy-producing complexes, increased ATP production, and stronger mitochondrial membrane potential.
In aged male mice, daily apigenin supplementation for nine months is associated with lower levels of proteins that signal mitochondrial cleanup and cell death.
In older male mice, daily apigenin supplementation for nine months increases the activity of genes involved in creating new mitochondria.
In mice with premature aging, apigenin treatment restores muscle strength, improves the structure of lung and spleen tissues, and restores normal fur color.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.