A recent study by scientists at the National University of Singapore has shown that one of the proteins that makes up our muscle tissue responds to a weak magnetic field, stimulating muscle growth.
As people age, they gradually lose muscle mass and strength. The reasons for this are still not well understood, so studying all aspects of muscle health is of great interest to scientists and to anyone who is faced with the problem of age-related muscle loss.
The team, led by Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregon from the Institute of Innovation and Technology in Healthcare at the National University of Singapore (iHealthtech), discovered that the protein TRPC1 responds to weak magnetic field oscillations. This response is usually observed during physical exercise. This sensitivity to the influence of a magnetic field can be used to stimulate muscle recovery, which can improve the quality of life of patients with impaired mobility.
The results of a joint study by scientists from the University of Singapore and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have been published in the journal Advanced Biosystems. The magnetic fields that the researchers used to stimulate the muscles are only 10-15 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field, but much weaker than a regular bar magnet that we are familiar with. This allowed the scientists to suggest that human muscles naturally respond to weak magnetic fields.
To test this theory, a group of researchers first used a special experimental setup to neutralize the influence of all surrounding magnetic fields. The researchers found that muscle cells did indeed grow more slowly when they were protected from the effects of all surrounding magnetic fields.
There is no mention of giving up physical exercise in the study – what a disappointment for lazy people… These observations convincingly confirmed the idea that the Earth’s magnetic field naturally interacts with muscles, causing biological responses.
To demonstrate the involvement of TRPC1 as a kind of “antenna” that responds to the magnetic field, the researchers used genetic engineering to create muscle cells from which the TRPC1 protein was removed from the genome. It turned out that the mutant cells did not respond to any magnetic field. The researchers were then able to restore magnetic sensitivity by selectively delivering TRPC1 to these cells. Metabolic changes similar to those achieved through physical exercise have been observed in previous clinical trials and studies conducted by Associate Professor Franco-Obragon.
It has been found that only 10 minutes of exposure to a magnetic field per week is sufficient to stimulate muscle cells. Muscle health has a major impact on a person’s overall metabolic status-weight, blood sugar, insulin and cholesterol levels, and overall well-being. This is especially important for people with various medical conditions who find it difficult to maintain a high level of physical activity in their daily lives.
Magnetic fields that simulate muscle activity can help patients who are unable to exercise due to injury, disease or weakness. Scientists are currently investigating the possibility of reducing patients’ dependence on medication in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes. “We hope that our research will help reduce the number of drugs prescribed to treat diseases, thereby reducing drug side effects and improving patients’ quality of life,” says Franco-Obrégon.