Endurance exercise also improved the levels of "spontaneous locomotion" • the feeling that tells our bodies to just get up and dance • of old rats. Aging is typically associated with a reduced level of spontaneous locomotion.

The combination of aging and a sedentary lifestyle significantly contributes to the development of diseases such as osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as a decline in cognitive abilities. If researchers can discover a method to "boost" satellite cells in our muscles, that could simulate the performance of young and healthy muscles -- and hold our aging bones in place.

"We hope to understand the mechanisms for the activation codes of muscle stem cells at the molecular level," says Prof. Benayahu. "With this advance, we can let ourselves dream about creating a new drug for humans -- one that could increase muscle mass and ameliorate the negative effects of aging."

Grants for this study were provided by the EU-FP7 Excell project; the Israeli Ministry of Health; and the U.S. - Israel Binational Science Foundation jointly with Prof. Yablonka-Reuveni from the University of Washington.

Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University