BP drugs could help fight frailty
August 21st, 2010 - 1:02 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Aug 21 (ANI): Scientists have claimed they’ve found a way to use blood pressure drugs to combat muscular weakness that accompanies aging.
University of Texas researchers’ discovery draws on research linking the loss of muscle mass with age-related changes in the behavior of the hair-thin blood vessels, or capillaries, which supply muscles with the amino acids they need for growth.
“When a young person eats food, insulin secretion causes the blood vessels in the muscle to dilate, so a lot of blood goes into the muscle and a lot of amino acids are available to build muscle proteins,” said Elena Volpi of UT.
“Older people’s blood vessels have far less response to insulin, but we found that if you give them a drug that causes them to dilate, you can increase the nutritive flow to the muscles and completely restore normal growth,” he said.
Drugs that induce blood vessels to widen, called vasodilators, are commonly used to control high blood pressure and prevent angina.
The researchers enrolled 12 healthy older volunteers for the study, and separated them randomly into two six-person groups.
The investigators performed the delicate task of inserting catheters into the arteries and veins feeding and draining the subjects’ leg muscles, and then used the arterial catheter to infuse the muscles with insulin at levels similar to those generated by a meal.
One group of volunteers was given the vasodilator drug, while the other received a placebo.
“By giving them this vasodilator, we were able to make our 70-year-olds look like 30-year-olds, at least in terms of muscle growth,” said Kyle Timmerman
While the researchers cautioned that larger studies would be needed to confirm their findings, they expressed optimism about vasodilator drugs’ potential as tools for keeping older people from falling into frailty, and living happier, healthier and more independent lives.
“If by improving blood flow during and immediately after eating we can improve muscle growth in response to meals in older people, then we’re going to have a major new tool to reduce muscle loss with aging,” Volpi said. “By itself, that could mean a substantially decreased risk of physical dysfunction and disability.”
The findings were published in the online edition of the journal Diabetes. (ANI)
- Boosting insulin levels can restore muscle-building process in elderly - Sep 26, 2009
- Insulin booster restores muscle growth in elderly - Sep 26, 2009
- Anger increases blood flow in the brain - Jul 03, 2009
- Taking apples daily keeps cardio risks at bay - Jul 08, 2011
- Micro-RNA that regulates insulin in obesity identified - Apr 01, 2011
- New surgical tool peers into heart non invasively - Mar 08, 2011
- Stent like device effective for removing blood clots - Feb 06, 2012
- Potential new non-insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes found - Mar 25, 2011
- High risk of heart disease in preadolescent kids with type 1diabetes - Feb 15, 2011
- Root cause of blood vessel damage in people with diabetes discovered - Jan 29, 2011
- How hormonal and molecular responses to exercise differ by age - Jan 26, 2011
- New proteins that regulate blood pressure, flow identified - Jul 08, 2010
- Clogged arteries can also cause clouded thinking - Jul 22, 2011
- Unhealthy diet raises heart risk for obese teens - Mar 23, 2011
- Scientists grow arteries with most elastic protein reported - Feb 01, 2011
Tags: amino acids, arteries and veins, blood pressure drugs, blood vessels, capillaries, catheters, delicate task, high blood pressure, independent lives, insulin secretion, leg muscles, muscle growth, muscle proteins, muscular weakness, person groups, texas researchers, thin blood, vasodilator drugs, vasodilators, volpi