How a gut chemical helps muscles in sick livers
Association of lithocholic acid with skeletal muscle hypertrophy through TGR5-IGF-1 and skeletal muscle mass in cultured mouse myotubes, chronic liver disease rats and humans
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When the liver is sick, muscles can shrink. This study found a special acid in the blood, called LCA, that links to bigger muscles and longer life in liver patients. Giving sick rats a liver-friendly supplement made their muscles and LCA levels go up. In lab-grown mouse muscles, LCA made the muscles grow by turning on a growth switch.
Surprising Findings
A 'toxic' secondary bile acid (LCA) is linked to better muscle mass and survival in liver disease.
LCA is typically seen as harmful — it’s associated with liver damage and cancer. Finding it protective in muscle health flips the script on its role in disease.
Practical Takeaways
Liver disease patients might benefit from gut health strategies (like probiotics or diet) that influence bile acid metabolism, potentially supporting muscle.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When the liver is sick, muscles can shrink. This study found a special acid in the blood, called LCA, that links to bigger muscles and longer life in liver patients. Giving sick rats a liver-friendly supplement made their muscles and LCA levels go up. In lab-grown mouse muscles, LCA made the muscles grow by turning on a growth switch.
Surprising Findings
A 'toxic' secondary bile acid (LCA) is linked to better muscle mass and survival in liver disease.
LCA is typically seen as harmful — it’s associated with liver damage and cancer. Finding it protective in muscle health flips the script on its role in disease.
Practical Takeaways
Liver disease patients might benefit from gut health strategies (like probiotics or diet) that influence bile acid metabolism, potentially supporting muscle.
Publication
Journal
eLife
Year
2022
Authors
Y. Tamai, A. Eguchi, R. Shigefuku, H. Kitamura, M. Tempaku, R. Sugimoto, Yoshinao Kobayashi, M. Iwasa, Y. Takei, H. Nakagawa
Related Content
Claims (5)
Turning on a specific cell receptor called TGR5 with a special compound makes mouse muscle cells grow bigger by switching on growth-related genes and signals — which might one day help treat muscle loss in people.
In people with long-term liver disease, having more of a certain gut-related acid in the blood might be linked to having more leg muscle strength — and this acid could help doctors spot muscle loss early.
Higher levels of a substance called lithocholic acid in the blood might mean better survival for people with chronic liver disease — one study found that patients with levels above 0.32 had better outcomes over about 3 years.
In lab-grown mouse muscle cells, a substance called lithocholic acid makes the muscle cells grow bigger, especially at a specific dose, and this happens through a particular chain reaction in the cells.
Giving BCAA supplements to rats with liver disease might help them keep more muscle, and it’s linked to changes in certain bile acids in their blood.