Chapter 1
The body's secret communication network
Chapter 2
The protein paradigm shift
Chapter 3
Sarcopenia and the battle against the fade
Ch 1 · The body's secret communication network
coach Since their discovery in the early 2000s, myokines travel through the bloodstream to coordinate health across the brain, fat cells, and liver.
Quiz
Which of the following is the first-ever identified myokine, discovered to help reduce visceral fat?
Quiz
What are the signaling molecules released by contracting skeletal muscles to communicate with other organs called?
BETA
coach Decode the protein signals to discover how your body's secret network protects muscle strength.
coach Irisin crosses the blood-brain barrier to stimulate BDNF production for cognitive protection.
Quiz
What brain-boosting protein is released in response to irisin, helping to support learning and memory?
Quiz
Which myokine, stimulated by muscle contraction, crosses the blood-brain barrier to promote new brain cell growth?
Quiz
What type of fat cell is specialized in burning calories to generate heat, stimulated by muscle signals?
Fun Fact
Muscle weight: Your skeletal muscles make up about 40% of your total body mass, making muscle the single largest organ system in the human body.
Quiz
What occurs in animals or humans born with a genetic mutation that blocks myostatin production?
Quiz
What is the name of the protein that acts as a natural brake to limit muscle growth?
Glossary
myokine (noun)
A signaling protein synthesized and released by muscle cells in response to muscular contraction. These proteins include BDNF, which travels to the brain to help improve learning and memory.
A signaling protein synthesized and released by muscle cells in response to muscular contraction. These proteins include BDNF, which travels to the brain to help improve learning and memory.