Exercise talks ageing muscles into repairing themselves — scientists found the messenger

Why does a walk or a swim keep older muscles able to mend themselves? Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore have traced part of the answer to a gene regulator called DEAF1. In ageing muscle stem cells — the repair crew that rebuilds damaged muscle — DEAF1 levels climb too high and the repairs stall. Exercise pushes DEAF1 back down, and the stem cells get back to work. The team saw the same pattern in two very different species, which strengthens the case, and the work is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. There is no pill here yet: the discovery explains one way movement protects strength with age, and points scientists towards helping people who cannot exercise because of illness or disability.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation