Study on regulation of skeletal muscle characteristics by food components

Abstract

Skeletal muscle fibers are divided into two types, type1 (slow-twitch oxidative) and type2 (fast-twitch glycolytic) fibers. Type 1 fibers are rich in mitochondria, have high oxidative metabolism, and are resistant to fatigue. The increase of type1 fibers leads to the improvement of texture, functional ingredients and taste in meat. It was thought that the increase of type1 fibers was only caused by exercise training. We found that oleic acid treatment of skeletal muscle cells significantly increased the expression of type1 fibers marker protein (MyHC1), oxidative metabolic factors, and mitochondrial mass. Furthermore, intake of diets containing oleic acid for 4 weeks induced the increase of MyHC1 expression and improvement of running endurance in mice. In addition, we found that skeletal muscle characteristics were changed by fish oil, yamabushitake mushroom, and apple polyphenol. These results indicate that skeletal muscle characteristics can be regulated by food components.